156 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



gravel. A clean yard is a great help in keeping the cows from 

 becoming soiled by mud and manure. 



Bank barns are generally dark and damp, as the light is 

 often excluded from one or more sides, thus making the stable 

 difficult to keep clean. Stables which have basements open 

 on one side for the manure furnish a breeding place for flies. 

 Barns which have many exposed beams, braces, and ledges on 

 which dust may lodge are undesirable. In these old types of 

 buildings little or no attention was paid to proper ventilation 

 and distribution of the light. Many of them, however, can at 

 small expense be remodeled to meet all sanitary requirements. 



Construction of the barn may be less important than careful 

 methods in handling milk when the keeping down of the bac- 

 terial content of the milk is considered, but the barn construc- 

 tion may be such as to lighten the labor necessary to keep the 

 barn and its equipment in a clean condition. 



The stable should have a hard floor which can be readily 

 cleaned ; for this reason a cement floor is desirable. 



The gutter back of the cows should be large enough to hold 

 the droppings; a width of 16 to 18 inches and a depth of 7 

 inches are usually sufficient. The gutter should incline so as 

 to drain readily, unless the liquid is taken up by absorbents. 

 Types of stalls and mangers are best which present the least 

 possible surface for collecting dust and dirt, and the least ob- 

 struction to the circulation of air. Stalls of wood have many 

 flat surfaces and cracks which are difficult to keep clean and 

 in case of outbreaks of disease are not easy to disinfect thor- 

 oughly. Stalls made of metal pipes are therefore preferable. 



The most common defect in dairy stables is a lack of clean- 

 liness; cobwebs on the ceiling and manure on the walls are 

 too common in such places. The dairyman must not allow 

 cobwebs, dust, or dirt to accumulate if he expects to produce 

 the highest grade of milk. With a tight smooth ceiling and 

 smooth walls without ledges, this is not difficult. Whitewash 



