XXI PROCEDURES TO OBTAIN PURE MILK 401 



In another small group of cases the food supplied to the 

 cows is so deliberately poor, the animals being fed on brewers' 

 grain, etc., or given excessive amounts of water to drink, that 

 the milk is below standard. These instances are excluded from 

 consideration, as they are really cases of adulteration of the 

 milk through the cow. 



Apart from mixed milk it appears to be not uncommon 

 for individual cows to yield at certain times, and at the 

 morning milking, milk which is deficient in fat even to the 

 extent of infringing the legal fat standard of 3'0 per cent. 

 This deficiency in the milk of individual cows in a herd of 

 any size is nearly always balanced by the rich milk of other 

 cows, the mixed milk being well above the legal standards. 



In the few cases of genuine failure of mixed milk to reach 

 the legal standards the law appears to operate unfairly and 

 prejudicially to the milk producer. The milk is adjudged to 

 be adulterated, and unless the contrary is proved, an accusa- 

 tion of fraudulent practice confronts the innocent farmer or 

 purveyor. 



On the agricultural and trade side much is made of these 

 few instances and the alleged hardship inflicted upon the 

 milk trade. By bringing forward the same cases again and 

 again they are made to appear much more numerous than is 

 really the case. 



The hardship is more apparent than real. The milk 

 purveyor can get a warranty from the milk producer. The 

 farmer knows or should know the legal standards, and it 

 is his business to look after the quality of his milk in the 

 same way as any other trader. He knows the time of year 

 and other conditions when his milk may possibly be below 

 average quality, while facilities are generally available at a 

 low cost ^ (usually sixpence per sample) for him to have 

 his milk analysed, while, if he prefers it, he can install his 

 own milk-testing apparatus. Local authorities are always 

 ready to withdraw a prosecution if the farmer demonstrates 

 to them the naturally inferior quality of his milk. 



To avoid any hardship to farmers the so-called " appeal 

 to the cow" has been instituted in a number of XDlaces. 



' Full particulars are given in Leaflet No. 146 of the Board of Agriculture 

 and Fisheries. 



2d 



