136 THE MILK QUESTION 



collect. Comers, cracks, crevices, and irregular surfaces 

 ■will sooner or later gather a decomposing film of organic 

 matter. Cleanliness of person is even more important 

 than cleanliness of things. 



Clean milk pays because it keeps longer and because it is 

 better and safer than dirty milk. Clean milk costs more to 

 produce, yet the consumer hesitates to pay a fair price. 

 At present, clean milk at a fair price is almost a drug on the 

 market. 



Clean milk that has been cooled as soon as drawn and 

 kept at a low temperature will change little in three or even 

 five or more days, and may therefore be better than fresher 

 milk which has been carelessly handled. Thus, in a sani- 

 tary sense, it is possible for a clean milk five days old to 

 be better than a dirty milk one day old. 



At the Paris Exposition in 1900, as pointed out by 

 Spargo, one of the most significant of all the food exhibits 

 was that of the American dairy products, particularly of 

 milk and cream. European authorities were astounded. 

 They simply could not understand how it was possible for 

 milk and cream, raw, in its natural state, without preserv- 

 atives of any kind, to be shipped all the way from New 

 York, New Jersey, or IlUnois to France, and be in good con- 

 dition upon its arrival and remain pure and sweet. The 

 French agriculturists were dumbfounded, for they could 

 mot bring their milk a distance of little more than one hun- 

 dred miles and have it in good condition for more than 

 forty-eight hours under the most favorable conditions. 

 Major Alvord, who was in charge of the exhibit, found it 

 no easy matter to convince the milk experts on the jury 

 that the milk was in its natural state, uncooked and undoc- 

 tored. Nothing but "cold and cleanliness" were used to 

 attain such wonderful results.^ 



If a dairyman has an inborn capacity or instinct to be 

 clean, a little instruction will enable him to do satisfactory 

 * Spargo, The Common Sense of the Milk Question. 



