272 MILK 



V. Freudenreich arrived at similar conclusions, as the follow- 

 ing figures show : 



GERM CONTENT OF FORE-MILK, MIDDLE MILK, AND STEIPPINGS 

 Series. Fore-milk. Middle milk. Strippings. 



1 .... 1,725 674 667 



2 ■ . 15,563 ' 2477 1004 



3 ... 4,349 202 352 

 4 4,388 2012 1056 



Average 6,506 1341 770 



Stocking, on the other hand, has found that the strippings 

 have a richer germ content than previously drawn milk. In a 

 series of 9 experiments he found an average of 272 bacteria per 

 cubic centimeter of strippings against 187 in earlier milk. In 

 each case the earlier milk contained fewer bacteria than the last 

 milk. Harding and Wilson made an extensive study of this ques- 

 tion and arrived at results similar to those . of Stocking. The 

 average of 360 samples gave the following figures: First milking 

 458 bacteria per cubic centimeter; middle milk, 187; and the 

 last milk, 274. The grand average was 306 bacteria per cubic 

 centimeter. The germ content of the strippings was closer to 

 the average of the mixed milk than either fore-milk or middle milk. 



Comparing the relation of bacterial content of the entire 

 yield of milk with the strippings, Harding and Wilson found the 

 following average figures for the four quarters: 



RELATION OF BACTERIAL CONTENT OF ENTIRE YIELD OF MILK AND OF STRIPPINGS 



Quarter. Whole milk. Strippings. 



Right front 126 263 



Right back 60S 845 



Left front 262 97 



Left back 226 257 



Average 305 365 



In these figures we find the strippings with a higher germ 

 content than the whole milk in three quarters, while they con- 

 tain fewer bacteria in one quarter. The average is, of course, 

 higher in the strippings. 



It seems that there is some evidence in favor of a higher germ 

 content of strippings than in the earlier milk and also some evi- 

 dence in favor of a lower content. It is difficult to decide which 

 condition is the more common one. As a matter of fact, there 

 are probably some cows whose milk seems to be richer in germs 

 when the last streams are drawn than when the earlier portions are 

 taken, but the reverse is also frequently true. If the very last 

 streams of milk are actually richer in bacteria than the previous 

 ones, the results obtained would depend in a measure upon the 

 amount of milk which the operator considers strippings or the 

 last streams. The larger the quantity taken as a sample, the 



