102 
JNO. M. PARKER. 
ness of milk,” that I have not touched upon and that I hope to 
be able to take up at some future time. 
Milk is the natural food for infants. In a perfect state it is 
the most perfect food we know, and of course it follows that it 
is of the utmost importance that it should be procured and 
placed on the market in as perfect a condition as possible. And 
here the study of bacteriology has been of the utmost impor¬ 
tance to the dairy farmer. Housewives used to dread the thun¬ 
derstorm, because the condition of the atmosphere was supposed 
to exert a peculiar influence on milk, causing it to sour. The 
study of bacteriology has shown the fallacy of this theory. The 
warm weather preceding the storm favors the development of 
germ life, which finds its way into the milk, causing it to sour 
and curdle. To prevent this taking place and to keep milk 
pure and sweet, it is only necessary to prevent the entrance or 
development of the various forms of bacteria: if this is done 
milk will keep almost indefinitely. 
Practically, however, it is almost impossible to keep milk 
perfectly free from germ life, but with a little care the number 
can be greatly reduced. 
As a rule the greatest number of bacteria find their way into 
milk during milking. The milker usually rests his head on the 
cow’s flank immediately above the pail, and of necessity dirt 
and scurf and hairs from the cow find their way into the milk. 
The cow has possibly been standing in a mud-hole in the past¬ 
ure, and the udder, body, flank and tail are probably covered 
with dirt and filth and decaying animal and vegetable matter, 
and of course the spores and germs from the grasses, marshes, 
and stagnant water are brushed and shaken off during milking, 
and drop into the milk. One has only to take a casual glance 
at the strainer after the milk has passed through to see straws, 
and hairs, and scales from sore teats or udders, along with faeces 
and dirt and filth of all kinds, all of which are teeming with 
germ life, and he will realize what necessity there is for a 
change of method, to keep pace with our increased knowledge 
on the subject. 
