PRODUCTION OF MILK OF LOW BACTERIAL CONTENT. 83 
of bacteria introduced, it is a factor of less importance than un- 
sterilized utensils. Nevertheless, dirt and manure should be kept 
out of milk, not only to help insure the production of milk of low 
bacterial count, but also to minimize the possibility of infection by 
disease-producing organisms, particularly that of bovine tubercu- 
losis. It has been shown by Shroeder (4) that cattle having tuber- 
culosis swallow their sputum, so that the tubercle bacilli in it pass 
through their bodies and into the manure. 
The small-top pail was designed for the purpose of helping to 
prevent the entrance of manure and dirt into milk. Many investiga- 
tions, among which may be mentioned the work of Stocking (5), 
also Harding (6) and his associates, and Lamson (7), have shown 
it to be of great assistance in this connection. ‘Throughout the 
experiments both the open and small-top pails were used, and 
attention is again called to the value of the small-top pail in 
the experiments whether the cows were clean or dirty. Table 15 
gives a summary of the average bacterial counts from milk from the 
sterilized open and small-top pails. Discussion of the results is 
unnecessary, as they confirm what has been recognized, namely, that 
lower bacterial counts can be obtained when a small-top pail is used. 
In all except the last figures in Table 15 the averages represent the 
counts at the same milking when two cows were milked into open 
and two into small-top pails. The most interesting point in connec- 
tion with the figures is the fact that even under extremely dirty 
conditions relatively low average bacterial counts were obtained. 
The original cost of a small-top pail is little more than that of an 
open pail; it is no more expensive to care for and is of distinct 
- value in preventing the entrance of manure and dirt into milk; 
consequently it should always be used. 
TABLE 15.—Summary of bacterial counts of milk drawn under various conditions 
into sterilized open and small-top pails. 
Bacteria per cubic cen- 
timeter. 
Number 
Condition of cows and barn floor. of samples 
: averaged.| Open pail | Small-top 
(steril- | pail (steril- 
ized). ized). 
Cows dirty, manure removed once a week.............--------------- 36 22,677 17, 027 
Cows dirty, manure removed once a week (6 months later)......----.-- 4] 86, 212 24, 439 
Cows dirty, udders and teats clean, manure removed twice a week....- 23 6, 166 2, 886 
Cows clean, udders and teats washed, manure removed daily.......-- 15 4,947 2,667 
Cows clean and bedded, udders not washed, manure removed daily... 32 8, 681 16,306 
165 samples. 
The value of the small-top pail is well illustrated in Plates I, I, 
and ITI, in which a series of sediment disks is shown. The cotton 
disks show the sediment from milk when a small-top and an open 
