54 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



the feed was disturbed or the wind struck it, the bacteria in this 

 feed, of course, was blown about, and she being nearest to it, at 

 milking time, when the feed was generally distributed and they 

 got into the milk. This was given as an explanation of the 

 greater bacteria count in milk from this cow over the other 

 milk. 



Preserving Milk. 



If milk could be obtained and kept free from bacteria it 

 would probably remain sweet almost indefinitely. How near to 

 this ideal it is possible to come may be seen from the fact that 

 milk from several American dairies exhibited at the Paris Expo- 

 sition in 1900 was sweet when over two weeks old, no method 

 of preservation being followed except cleanliness and keeping it 

 at a temperature of 40 to 42 degrees F. According to a more 

 recent data, published by the Bureau of Animal Industry of the 

 Department of Agriculture, clean milk may be kept five to seven 

 weeks.* The conditions which make such milk possible are still 

 uncommon, but they are becoming and will continue to become 

 more common as consumers realize that it is worth the extra 

 cost which the necessary carefulness entails. 



Tile Cow. 



Commencing with the cow, the first thing that attracts 

 attention is her outward appearance, her condition of flesh, the 

 condition of her hair, her breathing, the look in her eye, the 

 udder and teats very carefully examined. The comfort of the 

 cow next calls for attention. The bedding, temperature of the 

 stable, the barnyard, the number of cubic feet of air space per 

 cow, and the character of the feed and water should be carefully 

 looked into. Last and by no means the least important feature 

 in connection with the cow is her cleanliness, as a cow cannot 

 furnish clean milk when her udder, flanks and tail are caked with 

 manure. The clipping of long hairs from the cow's udder, flank 



*U. S. Dept. Agr. Anim. Indus. Circ. 117. 



