C»e RURAI. NEW-YORKER 
July 28, 1917. 
928 
The Milk Problem 
A Maine Farmer and Milk Inspector 
Two years ago I was selling cream to 
a creamery company, they in turn sell¬ 
ing to Boston market. The Boston 
lioard of Il^ealth inspector came here 
and told me I must take down my ma¬ 
nure shed, whitewash, build a milk room, 
hang a door between horses and cows. 
I told him I was willing to do those 
things except taking down the manure 
shed, as I needed more room, but had 
not made up my mind w’hether I would 
lay a floor in the manure shed and make 
that into a tie-up, or put 40 feet more 
on the end of the barn, lie asked how 
soon I could do one or the other, and I 
told him as soon as I could cut the lum¬ 
ber and have it sawed. He said if I 
would promise to do it before he came in 
the next Spring he would fix it so I 
could get by, but I refused to make any 
such promise. In a few days I got word 
from the creamery that they Avould not 
take any more cream. There were six 
more manure sheds on the route, and 
they were ordered to be taken down; 
owners made no objections nor promises. 
The next Spring the inspector came 
again, but said nothing about .sheds, 
barns or whitewash, but tried to sell the 
farmers stock in the creamery company 
to keep them from going to the wall, and 
they take their cream right along. These 
fariners have not done a thing that the 
inspector called for two years ago, but 
they will not take mine till I take down 
that manure shed, and all six of these 
places are worse than mine. Haven’t I 
a chance to sue the city of Boston for 
discrimination, and claim damages for 
not taking my cream and taking the six 
others of the same condition, and some 
worse? B- P. N. 
Replying to this correspondent’s ques¬ 
tions, I would say, first, that it seems to 
me his difficulties are much the same as 
those of the farmers in other sections of 
Maine whose milk or cream goes to Bos¬ 
ton. It is also very apparent to me 
that the Boston inspectors are entirely 
outside their rights when they undertake 
to inspect Maine barns, anyway. There 
is no law, either State or National, that 
gives them such a right, and I believe 
the farmers would be fully justified in 
refusing them admission to their prem¬ 
ises for such inspection. 
Boston’s right of inspection is the in¬ 
spection of the milk after it reaches the 
market. If it is not good, it should be 
rejected; if good, the city certainly needs 
it. The city of Portland now inspects 
all milk coming into the market, and 
monthly statements of the conditions 
found, giving the names of all the pro¬ 
ducers and including its acidity, cleanli¬ 
ness and bacterial count, are published 
in all the city papers. It is generally 
conceded that this practise has impi’oved 
the milk supply vastl.v, over the old meth¬ 
od of inspecting barns. It is easy for 
city inspectors to tell the quality of milk, 
but not easy for them to make, and en¬ 
force, conditions surrounding the far¬ 
mer’s premises, or to make them just to 
all. In fact, the farm is the castle of the 
farmer, and no one should be allowed to 
tell him how to build or improve it. It 
is his business to produce a good, health¬ 
ful product. It is the business of those 
who represent the consumer to see that 
the product is good and healthful. 
I’ossibly I can not answer further, any 
better than to quote from the report of 
Maine’s Comis-sioner of Agriculture for 
1015, as follows: 
“The Boston Board of Health, within 
the past few years, has assumed the 
right to send a stripling to the State of 
M_aine_ to inspect the farm homes where 
milk is produced, if the producer -was 
nnfortunate enough to be obliged to sell 
milk that ultimately went to Boston. 
This young gentleman seems to act 
without a special method or system of 
action. Two places side by side—one 
equally as good as the other—one is re¬ 
jected and the other accepted. In the 
case of the one that is rejected, the pro¬ 
duct is excluded for a few days or a 
week, by_ the creamery to which he has 
been selling and then, with the slighte.st 
apology of fixing up or cleaning uj>, the 
milk is again accepted. This inspection 
is without law and without authority. 
“The creameries in Maine that ship 
milk to Massachusetts points came to the 
1915 Ijegislature, asking for a law per¬ 
mitting the Department of Agriculture 
to inspect the places from which they 
bought milk. The Legislature refused to 
grant this right, even to a creature of 
its own making. It is, therefore, im¬ 
probable that they intend to grant it to 
a creature appointed by the Boston 
Board of Health. This inspection 
causes continual concern to the cream 
and milk producers of the State, because 
it is absolutely autocratic in its make¬ 
up and may deprive them, for one week 
or one month of the income of their 
herd, upon the say-so of an irresponsible 
person who is not even a citizen of the 
vState. 
Steps ought to be taken to stop this 
annoyance of the farmers of Maine by 
authorities outside of Marne. If Boston 
doesn’t w'ant Maine milk, and cannot 
determine what Maine milk is good and 
Avhat is not when it gets to Boston, and 
what they can accept and what reject 
at that point, it would be well for them 
to get their milk from sonic otner source." 
As to whether or not this correspond¬ 
ent would have a case in law, I am un¬ 
able to say. If the Boston inspector was 
trying to sell stock in the creamery, it 
might be possible to show collusion be¬ 
tween them, and the fact that some far¬ 
mers were allowed to keep on sending 
milk without complying with the condi¬ 
tions to which this correspondent was 
subjected would show discrimination, 
certainly, but it would .seem to me that 
if the case were actionable, the action 
would be against the creamery, as the 
inspector was acting through them. 
However, I very much doubt if it 
would be worth while to bring suit, un¬ 
less there wore a sufficient number of 
the farmers dissatisfied to form a strong 
fighting force and then, by uniting, make 
it a test case in an attempt to drive the 
Boston inspectors from the State. 
p. -WALKER MC KEEX. 
AILING ANIMALS 
Swollen Leg 
I have a horse, eight years old, that 
had one hind leg swell suddenly in stable 
about two -weeks ago. It now stocks up 
every night, but will go down to nearly 
normal size during day, while at work. 
He is worked only moderately hard and 
fed from 30 to 12 quarts oats per day 
with what hay he will eat. What can be 
done for it? w. ii. R. 
New Hampshire. 
The horse had an attack of lymphan¬ 
gitis (Monday morning disease) which 
comes on after a day or more of idleness 
in the stable during which time the 
horse is fed his customary grain ration. 
Avoid such attacks by never letting any 
horse stand idle for a single day, and by 
cutting down the grain feed when there is 
no work for him to do. Hand rub the 
.swollen parts each time the horse comes 
into the stable and then bandage snugly 
with flannel from feet to knees and hocks. 
If you persist in this considerable im¬ 
provement should result in a month. 
A. 8. A. 
Heaves 
I have a six-year-old mare that has 
recently started to cough and discharge 
air at the same time same a.s I have seen 
on heavy horses. Is it possible tliat she 
is coming down with heaves? Her dam 
had the heaves. She is otherwise in per¬ 
fect condition. Is thei'e a cure or is it 
possible to check her? I feed her wet 
Alfalfa and Timothy mixed hay and 
grain (whole oats). She is in good flesh. 
New York. m. t. 
Heaws evidently is present and when 
established is incurable. The distress 
may be relieved by giving proprietary 
heave remedies or Fowler’s solution of 
arsenic in half-ounce doses twice daily. 
The dose may be gradually increased if 
that is found necessary. Let the mare 
live on grass this Summer, also feeding 
oats if she has to -work. In Winter feed 
wet oat straw or oat bundles instead of 
hay. Do not work her soon after a meal or 
allow any bulky feed at noon when she 
has to work. Keep her bowels relaxed. 
A. 8. A. 
Scours 
I have four pigs two months old. About 
10 daj’^s ago I gave them some raw as¬ 
paragus, quite a lot of it. The one that 
always got the most of everything was 
taken sick in a few hours with vomiting 
and scours, and is now very thin and 
weak, has passed a brown fluid and blood. 
It still scours and wdll stand in the 
trough but eat only a few mouthsful. 
The sick pig routs around a little. Shall 
I separate them? I have been feeding 
sweet milk, !X)ur irilk, middlings or a 
little clean stale bread, not moldy. What 
shall I do for them? c. v. K. 
New York. 
Asparagus too heavily fed doubtless 
aggravated the irritation already pre.sent 
from indigestible food. Alone it would 
not be likely to cause serious effects. Sour 
milk and bread would be more likely to 
blame. Stop . 11 feed other than sweet 
skim-milk wheat middlings and green 
pasture grass or forage. Add on: ounce 
of limewater per quart of milk. The 
worst affected pigs should be given a 
preliminary dose of castor oil in milk. 
A. 8. A. 
Indigestion 
My horse appears to have kidney 
trouble. He is an old horse. Will you 
advise me what to do? a. l. 
New York. 
Indigestion probably causes all of the 
symptoms noted. Have the teeth attend¬ 
ed to by a veterinarian, then let the horse 
pasture grass instead of eating hay. 
Also allow -w'hole oats, and wheat bran 
twice daily and add a handful of flax-seed 
meal. If the symptoms still persist dissolve 
two ounces of glauber salts in hot -water 
and give in the drinking water once daily 
until the bowels are sufficiently loosened. 
I'he liver probably is in a sluggish con¬ 
dition, causing constipation. A. 8. A. 
Thrush 
My horse has thrush in forward foot; 
had it some time. It is below the frog 
up in the quarter, way up to the hair. 
I have tried a number of remedies and 
no cure. c. E. n. 
Massachusetts. 
Perfectly cleanse the hoof and affected 
jiarts, then -vv'ith a clean, sharp, shoer’s 
knife, cut away every bit of loose, rot¬ 
ten and under-run horn where pus has 
burro-w'ed. Now cleanse and dry again 
and then pack calomel into the cleft of 
the frog and all cracks and keep it in 
place by pressing oakum or cotton on 
top. Remove the dre.ssing daily. As 
thrush is caused by the horse standing in 
wet and filth in the stable keep the stall 
floor clean and dry and bed it with plan¬ 
ing mill shavings or sawdust, (lypsum 
scattered on the stall floor is a great 
help in keeping it clean and dry. 
A. 8. A. 
Foul in Foot 
1. Quite a number of cows have sore 
feet. They can hardly walk. We call it 
foul or some such thing, and we use as a 
remedy just plain kerosene oil, pouring 
this on their feet, or hoofs which are 
swollen and appear to be rotting in hoof 
part. What can be done to cure this, or 
else avoid it? "W. 8. 
New Y'ork. 
Cleanse the feet with soap and hot 
water, then cut away every bit of loose, 
rotten or horn of sole or wall separated 
by pus. Then immerse the foot for a few 
moments in a solution of two ounces of 
sulphate of copper (bluestone) in a pint 
of hot water. Afterward cover the foot 
with oakum or cotton saturated with a 
five per cent, solution of coal tar disin¬ 
fectant to be kept in place with clean 
bandages. Renew the dressing daily for 
a week, then apply pine tar and oakum. 
Keep the cattle in the stable while under 
treatment. Wading in wet, filth and grit 
caused the condition. A. 8. A. 
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