SIGNIFICANCE OF BACTERIAL CONTENT 380 
very objectionable. It is reasonable that a farmer who is careful about 
the condition of his cows will be just as careful about the other features 
which are known to affect milk quality. 
Schroeder (1914) has classified the methods of determining dirt in 
milk as follows: 
Group I. (a) Type in which the sediment is obtained by gravity fil- 
tration. 
Conn’s filter paper method. 
The Lorenz or Wisconsin tester. 
The Stewart tester. 
The Gerber tester. 
The Schroeder tester, or multiple filter. 
(6) Type in which pressure or suction is used. 
The Lorenz improved. 
The Wizard. 
The Gooch crucible. 
Group II. Type in which sediment is obtained by means of the cen- 
trifuge. 
The Babcock. 
The Gerber. 
The Stewart-Slack. 
Conn’s centrifugal method. 
Significance of the Bacterial Count. There is no agreement on this 
important question. The Commission on Milk Standards makes the 
following statement on the subject: 
Bacterial Counts and Decency. On this subject the commission passed the 
following resolutions: 
(a) Because high bacterial counts indicate milk is either warm, dirty, or 
stale, the bacterial count is an indicator of decency in milk character, entirely 
apart from its significance as an indicator of the safety of milk. 
(b) In determining the sanitary character of milk and the grade in which it 
belongs, decency must be considered as desirable for its own sake, entirely apart 
from the consideration of safety. Decency is important as a characteristic of 
foods and drinks, because it gives pleasure to the consumption of food, while 
the lack of decency means distaste, displeasure, and even disgust. 
(c) The bacterial count is a sufficiently accurate measure of decency to justify 
the health officer in condemning milk with a high bacterial count because it is 
lacking in this characteristic. 
Bacteriological Laboratory Testing of Milk. On the subject of laboratory 
examinations of milk for bacteria the commission believes that the interest of 
