ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 2]$ 



study The best way to cure a balky horse is to get rid of him. Time is 

 too valuable to spend in efforts to correct him. 



Let us consider more in detail some of " The First Steps in the Hand- 

 ling of Milk," as we regard them from the scientific side. Dr. Russell has 

 given you, I have no doubt, although I did not hear him, a most thorough 

 exposition of the contamination of milk. It is not necessary, therefore, 

 that I should enter into a discussion of this phase, although it is so closely 

 related to my subject. The points, therefore, which I desire to make and 

 which will serve as heads for my subsequent discussions will be. 



1. The Germ Content of Milk, 



2. The Germicidal Constituents of Milk. 



3. The Gas Content of Milk. 



4. The Temperature of Milk. 



1. The Garni Content of Milk. — For many years it was supposed that 

 milk in the udder was absolutely free from bacteria. The supposition 

 being that it existed in a sterile form as most other fluids and secretions 

 of the body. This notion prevailed because of the fact that many were 

 able to secure samples of milk which kept indefinitely so far as appear- 

 ances were concerned. Doubtless in many cases no tests were made of 

 the milk to ascertain whether any micro-organisms were present or not. 

 The conclusions, therefore, concerning the sterility of milk in the udder 

 was a very natural conclusion. It is an easy matter to secure milk from 

 the udder of a cow which will to all appearance keep very satisfactorily, 

 and, in my own experience, fifty per cent of the samples taken under sterile 

 conditions from the udder will not undergo a change of any kind unless 

 it is a slight deposition of the suspended constituents in the milk. More 

 Tecent work, however,- has demonstrated that micro-organisms are quite 

 commonly found in milk as milk exists in the udder, sometimes in quite 

 large numbers, but not all of these micro-organisms are capable of pro- 

 ducing apparent changes. Some of them are obnoxious, however, and 

 probably lead to undesirable fermentations. 



As we look upon these in a practical light the number of micro- 

 organisms usually found in the milk of the udder, even though exposed 



