4 The Colorado Experiment Station 
Such a building can be easily and cheaply constructed of solid 
concrete walls or cement blocks, as shown in Fig. i. Any farmer 
who understands handling cement and can make good forms or 
molds for construction can make a good solid wall concrete dairy 
very cheaply. The walls can be made of solid concrete, 4 to 6 inches 
thick and plastered on the inside with a cement plaster. An ex¬ 
cellent wall can be made out of a mixture of 1 part Portland cement, 
3 parts sand and 3 parts of gravel, plastered on the inside with a 
mixture of 1 part cement to 2 parts of sand. The mixture should 
be placed in the forms in a very wet or sloppy condition. Old 
barbed wire, or wire of any kind, placed in the walls as they are 
being constructed, will strengthen them very much, especially at the 
corners. The floor in the dairy room should be constructed out 
of concrete, with a cement surface. 
The separate dairy should be located so that it is handy to 
both the house and the barn, so that hot and cold water can be 
easily secured, and so that it can be well drained. It is advisable 
to place it near the well so that cold water can be easily secured 
for cooling the milk or cream. It is a good plan to arrange the 
dairy so that all water which is pumped for live stock has to pass 
through a cement tank in the dairy and out through an overflow' 
pipe into the watering trough or supply tank. 
Usually a building 10x12 feet, clear on the inside, will be 
large enough for the average farm dairy. 
cleanliness a necessity. 
If good butter is to be produced, the milk and cream must be 
properly handled. The milk cannot be produced under unsanitary 
conditions and at the same time furnish the raw material for a good 
quality of butter. The reasons for a poor grade of butter are 
more frequently found before the milk has been skimmed than 
after. 
The cows should be kept in a healthy condition. The stable 
should be well lighted, properly drained and thoroughly ventilated. 
The milker should remember that milk takes on odors very readily 
and that undesirable bacteria and filth which are allowed to get 
into it during the milking period, even in apparently small quantities 
are likely to spoil the product. Some of the greatest sources of 
contamination are the cows, the milker, the stable, the flies, the 
pails, strainer, and the stable air. The dark, unventilated, damp 
stable is the home of disease and germs. On the other hand, plenty 
of sunlight and fresh air is conducive to health and sure death to 
most germs. Everything that falls into the milk, flies, hair, par¬ 
ticles of dirt, etc., carries with it thousands of bacteria, the majority 
of these being detrimental. Every possible precaution should be 
exercised to keep the milk clean and pure. All dirt should be 
