ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 91 



fat. The chemist says it is but the human stomach should answer 

 this question. 



Keeping Quality. 



By this we mean the length of time milk will remain in a pal- 

 atable condition. The keeping quality is measured by the number 

 and kind of bacteria present, and the acidity of the milk. The 

 determination of these points is important if the actual commercial 

 value of the milk is to be known. We will consider the keeping 

 quality perfect when it does not contain over .2 per cent of acid. 

 I would allow 5 points for acidity and deduct one point for 

 every .01 per cent above .2. 



I would allow as follows for the number of bacteria per c. c. 



Less than 10,000 20 points 



Over 10,000 and less than 25,000 19 points 



Over 25,000 and less than 50,000 18 points 



Over 50,000 and less than 75,000 17 points 



Over 75,000 and less than 100,000 16 points 



With the above plan, a good deal of encouragement is 

 given to the dairyman making an effort to produce clean milk 

 free from bacteria, and credit is given for his efforts as far as 

 they go. While the number of bacteria in itself may not be of 

 special importance in milk, but a large number present is a good 

 indication of the sanitary condition under which the milk is han- 

 dled. 



General Condition and Appearance of Package and Contents. 



The package containing milk should be clean, free from metal 

 parts, and should have no visible foreign matter. If tin tops 

 or other metal parts are permanently attached to the bottle they 

 are difficult to clean and can hardly be considered sanitary. 

 If foreign matter is found in the bottle, such as partcles of man- 

 ure, hair, bedding, etc., it is an indication that the milk is pro- 

 duced under dirty conditions. Deductions should, therefore, be 

 made for poor packages and foreign matter in the milk according 

 to conditions found. 



Market cream is judged on a basis similar to that of 

 market milk. With this product, however, under the head of 

 Chemical Qualities, the percentage of fat only is considered. 



