XVI REFORMS IN CONDITIONS OF SUPPLY 281 



teats should actually be washed. They should be carefully 

 dried with a clean cloth. Many cowkeepers have declared to 

 the writer that such washing causes chapped and sore teats 

 and is detrimental to the cows, but as none of them had ever 

 practised such cleansing, their opinion was of doubtful value. 

 The writer is not aware of any authoritative veterinary opinion 

 in favour of such a supposition. He has had goats' teats and 

 udders repeatedly washed, and at all times of the year, without 

 any such conditions arising. It is, of course, important that 

 the water and cloths used for cleaning the udders should be clean. 

 The one cloth should not be used for all the cows, and several 

 changes of fresh water are required, while it is very important 

 that it should be used for the udders and teats only and not for 

 other parts of the cow. It may be remarked that any one 

 examining the water from the washing of the udders of even 

 a few cows cannot but be satisfied as to the need for cleansing 

 the udder. 



It may be objected that the operation of washing takes 

 up too much time. In regard to this Orr remarks : " Practical 

 experience shows otherwise, as two men can wash 10 cows 

 thoroughly in half an hour, and, when pushed for time, one 

 man can do it in the same time, perhaps not so thoroughly, 

 but without apparently influencing the bacterial content of the 

 milk to any extent. The cost of one man for an hour, or two 

 men for half an hour, does not add much to the cost of gallon 

 of milk. If the cost of a man for an hour be taken as 4d. 

 (a fair figure), and the quantity of milk produced by 10 cows 

 is 15 gallons, it will be found the additional cost per gallon 

 of milk is about a farthing." 



Clean Milkers. — Each milker should thoroughly wash his 

 or her hands and arms before commencing to milk, and if many 

 cows have to be milked should wash more than once during 

 the milking. Disinfectants and disinfectant soaps are quite 

 unnecessary, but a nail-brush should be provided. It is im- 

 portant, in order to encourage and if possible ensure their use, 

 that the water, basins, and towels should be handy for the 

 milkers. In so many places where the writer has been assured 

 that the milkers always wash their hands before milking, on 

 looking for the means of ablution he has been informed that 

 they wash in the house, frequently a considerable distance 



