28o MILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH chap. 



same road. It is merely a matter of habit — the horse is 

 groomed, the cow is not. It is not necessary to remove every 

 particle of manure from the hind-quarters, but they must be 

 reasonably clean. There are two reasons why, at the present 

 time, keeping the cows clean is somewhat onerous. One is 

 that the sheds are kept and left in such a dirty condition, and 

 are so badly constructed, especially as to a suitable floor, that 

 the cows readily become dirty. The other reason is the generally 

 filthy approaches to the cowshed. If cows have to wade daily 

 through manure and other filth they will naturally be difficult 

 to keep clean. With clean sheds and clean approaches groom- 

 ing the cows is not a lengthy process. The brushing and 

 cleaning must be completed at least half an hour before milking 

 commences. 



Orr ^ states : " It has been found by experiment that one 

 man in winter can keep twenty cows in a clean condition by 

 devoting a single hour a day to the work ; of course, this is 

 only after they have been thoroughly freed from the manure 

 on their haunches, the removal of which may take some days 

 at first." Two minutes per day per cow has been given as a 

 sufficient time, but probably a little longer than this would be 

 required. In some places the cows' hind-quarters are washed 

 down instead of being brushed, and there seems no objection, 

 as veterinary authorities do not find it causes chills. 



Even more important than grooming is the regular cleans- 

 ing of the udders and teats before each milking. Eecom- 

 mendations as to the exact procedure differ slightly, some 

 writers recommending washing, others wiping with a damp 

 cloth. A leaflet ^ of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 

 states : " Shortly before milking begins, some one with a clean, 

 rough, dry cloth should be sent to wipe each cow's udder. If 

 any cow's udder is found to be soiled in such a manner that it 

 cannot be cleansed in this way it should be washed. The 

 practice of washing the udder was attended with no ill effects 

 in the Yorkshire experiments. After washing, the udder 

 must be carefully dried, otherwise the cow might get cold in 

 one or more quarters of the udder.'' 



It would certainly seem preferable that the udders and 



^ Report on Milk Contamination, 1908. 

 2 Leaflet No. 151, 1908. 



