ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 227 



are usually attached to large bodies makes the work of prevent- 

 ing their entrance into milk comparatively easy. But with all 

 the care that it is practical to observe, some bacteria will get 

 into milk; therefore it must be cooled as soon as possible and 

 held at a low temperature to prevent their multiplication. The 

 different steps through which milk passes might be compared to 

 the links of a chain — if one is weak the strength of the whole 

 chain is impaired; so if the care of milk is neglected at any step 

 the care taken at other times may be rendered useless. 



Brief references will be made to each step in the production 

 and care of milk, from the herd to the delivery of the milk to 

 the creamery, cheese factory, or train. 



THE HERD. 



The first requisite for pure milk is healthy cows. Any ani- 

 mal suspected of being sick or out of condition should be im- 

 mediately separated from the herd and not allowed to remain 

 near the dairy. If the milk from such animals is used it must 

 first be boiled. On every dairy farm there should be a proper 

 place for keeping sick or suspected animals. It is absured to 

 claim that any large herd can be constantly maintained in per- 

 fect health, and when one finds a dairy farm with no provision 

 for the care of sick animals, he has good cause to suspect that 

 the milk from that place can not be implicitly relied upon for its 

 purity. 



When a herd is known to be sound, every precaution should 

 be takn before adding new animals. In one case carelessness in 

 this respect resulted in the loss of about lOO cows that had been 

 in good health until a few fresh milkers, supposed to be also 

 healthy, but later proved to be tuberculous, were introduced into 

 the stable. The tuberculin test has proved to be a reliable means 

 of ascertaining the presence of tuberculosis, and its use in any 

 suspected herd is advised. It does not injure the animals and 

 may be the means of detecting cases that could not otherwise be 

 found, but yet be a sourse of infection to sound animals. It 

 honld be applied only by a competent veterinarian, and after a 



