24 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



is heated.. Similar results are produced when the cow is kept in a barn 

 that is too warm or in one with very poor ventilation. 



The milk from a diseased cow should not be used under any circum- 

 stances. The milk should be discarded until a veterinarian is consulted 

 or until the cow is again in good health. 



Injury to the udder is sometimes the cause of bloody milk, but more 

 often the cause of inflamation of the injured part, and the result will be 

 clots in the milk and in serious cases suppuration may set in. An ex- 

 perienced milker should detect this trouble while milking and discard 

 the milk. To be sure, bad effects do not always follow when such milk is 

 used, but it is never known what the consequences might be. 



It has been found that milk is a good absorbant, in particular just 

 after being drawn from the cow, that is, while yet warmer than the sur- 

 rounding atmosphere. For this reason it should not be exposed to the 

 barn air longer than necessary. 



The milk house should be well ventilated and kept scrupulously 

 clean. The floor should be of cement and all tanks galvanized iron. All 

 milk utensils should be of tin and well washed with hot water every 

 time they have been in use, and set on ends to dry and then exposed to 

 the sunlight as much as possible. 



The sense of smell is the best means of detecting the bad odors or 

 taints just mentioned. With practice and close observation this faculty 

 can be developed to a very high degree. 



We have referred to the taints that are in the milk when drawn 

 from the cow, caused by improper feeding or some organic trouble of the 

 cow, and to those caused by absorption from being exposed to bad odors 

 of the barn and its surroundings. The most serious trouble and greatest 

 loss, however, is by the decomposition of the milk itself, caused by the 

 growth of bacteria, which develop very readily under the conditions 

 found in the milk at the time it is drawn from the cow, which supplies all 

 their requirements, viz., food, moisture and heat. 



Bacteria, sometimes called germs and microbes, are minute unicel- 

 lular plants, belonging to the lowest class of the vegetable kingdom. On 



