MILK AND CREAM CONTESTS. 21 
milk. In some contests those in charge have received samples that 
were actually curdled; such milk, being of no value as market milk, 
could not, of course, get credit for flavor or odor. Then certain forms 
of bacteria cause fermentation or decomposition in milk, and when 
they have worked for a considerable length of time they cause a very 
undesirable flavor. 
Certain feeds also contribute to the flavor and odor. In several 
competitions milk scores have been cut heavily because of a pro- 
nounced garlic flavor. Silage flavor is very often in evidence, espe- 
cially during cold spells in the winter when the barns are kept tightly 
closed. If the silage is fed directly after milking instead of either 
before or during milking, there should be no trouble on account of 
silage flavor in milk. There is one thing, however, that must be 
remembered: If the cows leave any silage in the mangers it must be 
cleaned out and taken from the barn when they are through, as the 
warm milk very readily absorbs the silage odor if it is in the air. 
The stable air, if close or ^^cowy," is another source of bad odors 
which are absorbed by the milk. Sometimes flavors are detected 
in milk which are due to foreign substances. Milk has been sub- 
mitted in bottles from the rubber parts of which it had absorbed a 
flavor' of rubber. The use of unparafflned caps may give rise to a 
''brown paper" flavor in the milk. 
It would seem that the best results, so far as flavor and odor go, 
can be secured by mixing the milk of three or more cows. Some- 
times the physical condition of the cow or the period of her lactation 
influences the flavor of the milk considerably, so that if the milk 
from only one cow is submitted there is a risk of the individuality of 
the cow playing some part in the flavor. It is also best to avoid 
''stripper" milk on account of a strong flavor which very often 
develops. 
VISIBLE DIRT. 
With proper care in milking or even with proper care in straining 
there is no excuse for large amounts of sediment in milk. As a 
matter of fact, however, few samples, even in the certified milk class, 
have been scored perfect on this point, and some samples have been 
so extremely dirty as to receive a zero on the score card. The sedi- 
ment usually found is a fine, dark-brown or black precipitate, which 
is the result of dust and dried manure finding its way from the cow's 
hide into the milk. Some of this fine sediment in a state of tempo- 
rary suspension in the milk may pass through coarse strainer cloths, 
if such are used, and settle to the bottom of the bottle after the milk 
is allowed to stand for any considerable time. Very often large 
pieces of foreign matter have found their way into the milk. In some 
cases it is almost unbelievable that such matter could get into contest 
