176 CLEAN MILK 



cans.* In Dresden there is a legal standard requiring that the dry- 

 dirt in milk shall not exceed 8 milligrammes to the litre (about 

 Y% grain to the quart). The taste may be bad, as from the odor 

 of manure, or from improper feeding, or disease (mastitis) of the 

 cows, and may suffice to condemn the milk. The color may be un- 

 usual, as when the cream is highly colored on milk which has been 

 obtained from cows recently calved. Curdling of the milk on boil- 

 ing will occur if the sample is colostrum. The brilliantly colored 

 milks, caused by special bacteria, are seldom seen in this country. 

 The odor of milk may be bad from various causes, as from improper 

 feeding of the cows, manure in the milk, or from the milk re- 

 maining a long while in dirty barns. Sour milk may be con- 

 demned. Slimy or stringy milk are not uncommon, but are gener- 

 ally only noticeable several hours after milking, and so usually escape 

 attention until in the consumer's hands. The existence of garget 

 in cows may produce slimy or stringy milk; also it occurs in the 

 milk of cows which have been milked late in the period of lactation; 

 certain herbs are said to cause it. It is somewhat doubtful whether 

 the condition is always due to a special germ (B. lactis viscosus; 

 see p. 28) or whether it is caused, at times, by chemical substances 

 (ferments) which occur in certain plants (Pinguicula). Fishy milk 

 is caused by rusty cans, and cows inhabiting pastures containing 

 stagnant pools of water may yield milk with this odor or taste. 



A General Outline of a Scheme for the Control, Supervision 

 and Inspection of a City Milk Supply 



The legal control of a city milk supply is in the hands of the 

 City Board of Health. The State Board of Health should, however, 

 work in cooperation with the City Board through its jurisdiction 

 over the territory from which the milk is obtained. When the milk 

 is drawn from several states this is, of course, of but slight value. 

 Moreover, state supervision is not' essential, since the city authorities.. 

 * For accurate estimation, see p. 305. 



