142 Cleanliness in Dairy Management. [june, 



that the portion which almost invariably remains acts as a food 

 for germ-life. To obviate this, wooden milk vessels should 

 always be thoroughly saturated before being used to receive 

 milk by first placing them in hot, and afterwards in cold' 

 water. 



With the majority of dairy utensils tin is the surface with 

 which the milk comes in contact. Such utensils cannot be 

 improved upon, provided that all joints are properly made and 

 that all parts are readily accessible for cleaning. All dairy 

 utensils should be cleaned immediately after use, and on no 

 account should milk be allowed to dry upon them. The 

 cleansing may be best accomplished by first washing them in 

 cold or slightly warm water, afterwards in hot, and finally 

 rinsing them in boiling water. If steam is available, and the 

 vessels can be put over a steam jet, so much the better. The 

 hotter the final rinsing or steaming, the greater the likelihood of 

 all forms of germ-life being killed. After cleansing, milk vessels 

 should be left in an airy position with the mouth or opening 

 turned downwards, but in such a manner that the air has 

 unrestricted access. 



The evil caused by improper attention to the cleansing of 

 dairy utensils may be attributed to the fact that while the vessel 

 is not in use, bacteria are feeding and multiplying on the dirt 

 left behind, so that milk placed in a dirty pail or vessel is at 

 once exposed to many species of germ-life, some of which begin 

 to work injurious changes. 



Cleanliness in Milking. — In order to obtain the maximum 

 amount of milk from a cow, it is necessary that the drawing 

 should be accomplished quickly, quietly, thoroughly, and with as 

 little disturbance to the cow as possible. Also, if the best is to be 

 made of the milk after it has been drawn, it is necessary to 

 observe the strictest cleanliness in connection with the operation. 



At milking time everything should be at rest within the byre, 

 that is to say, there should be no shaking of bedding or feeding 

 of the cows going on. Shortly before milking begins a man 

 or a boy should be sent with a brush and a clean cloth to brush 

 and wipe each cow's udder. If any cow's udder is found to be 

 soiled in such a manner that it cannot be cleaned with a brush 

 and a cloth it should be washed ; but too frequent washing is not 



