160 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



tamination. Strainer cloths can be washed in the manner 

 above described, boiled for five minutes, and then hung in a 

 clean place to dry. 

 Milking. 



Unless considerable care is taken, large numbers of bacteria 

 may find their way into the milk during the process of milking. 

 Cows should be milked in clean, well-lighted stables. It may 

 be possible by taking great pains to produce good milk in a 

 dark or dirty stable, but it is extremely improbable that clean 

 milk will be produced under such conditions by the average 

 person. Grooming and feeding the cattle, as well as cleaning 

 the stable and removing the manure, should not be done just 

 before milking, as these operations fill the air with odors, dust, 

 and bacteria which may contaminate the milk. After groom- 

 ing and before milking, the udders, flanks, and bellies of the 

 cows should be carefully wiped with a damp cloth to remove 

 any dust or loose hairs which might fall into the milk pail. 



After the cows are prepared for milking, each milker should 

 thoroughly wash his hands and put on a pair of clean overalls 

 and a jumper, or wear a suit, preferably wdiite, which is used 

 for no other purpose. The suit must be kept clean and oc- 

 casionally sterilized with steam or hot water. It is best to use 

 a clean milking stool to avoid soiling the milker's hands. 



In modern dairies where clean milk is produced the small- 

 top milk pail is a necessity, as such a pail presents only a small 

 opening into which dust and dirt may fall from the air or from 

 the cow's body. It has been found by experience that the use 

 of the small-top pail greatly reduces the number of bacteria 

 in milk from average dairies. Many types of milk pails are 

 for sale, but any tinner can convert an ordinary pail into a 

 small-top pail by the addition of a hood, as shown in Plate V. 



Milkers should be allowed to milk only with dry hands. 

 The practice of wetting the hands with milk is a filthy habit 

 and is liable to cause the cows' teats to chap in the winter time. 



