Butter Making 
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away from flies. If some other provisions were made for their com¬ 
fort, they would not have to seek this refuge. Provide an abund¬ 
ance of shade in the pasture lot and fence off the mud. 
See that there is an ample supply of good, clean, drinking water 
and wholesome food. It is much better to do all of the feeding and bed¬ 
ding after the milking is done, since in handling dry hay or fodder, the 
air is filled with dust and dirt which will settle into the milk at milk¬ 
ing time. If the cows are allowed to eat while being milked, there 
is always more or less commotion caused by tossing the heads and 
nosing the feed, and this means a constant supply of dust in the 
stable. There may be some uneasiness shown at first if they are com¬ 
pelled to wait for their feed, but it is only a question of educating 
them to it. Those dairymen who are practicing this are getting good 
results and can testify to the improved quality of the milk. 
Some of the cow stables which one sees in traveling through the 
country are a disgrace to any civilized community. Just because a 
cow can endure such accommodations is no excuse for their existence. 
Warm, well ventilated, well lighted stables will pay for themselves 
many times over in increased yield and quality of the milk. Fly 
screens are a very necessary adjunct to a good stable, and a frequent 
coat of whitewash will help considerably toward its appearance and 
sanitary condition. If the stable is properly constructed, the cows 
can be kept clean and comfortable, and their flanks free from great 
masses of manure, which, when dried, is apt to fall into the pail 
during milking. It is to this source that we can trace many of the 
objectionable “cowy" flavors found in the milk. 
Manure must not be allowed to accumulate in the barn lot until 
the milker is compelled to wear hip boots to get through it on his 
wav to the stable. The udder and flank of the animals should be 
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wiped off with a cloth moistened with some germicide, such as 3 per 
cent, carbolic acid, or lysol, or 1-1000 mercuric chlorid, just previous 
to milking; the cows should be brushed frequently to remove any 
loose hairs or foreign matter. 
Very few dairymen stop to consider the importance of clean¬ 
liness of their own person when working around milk. It is the 
usual practice to put on the filthiest pair of overalls available, since 
milking in the average cow barn is considered a dirty job, which in 
itself is, indeed, an admission of guilt. The same suit of overalls 
is used while milking, cleaning out the cow stable, bedding the 
.horses and hauling manure, and it is not until they become so stiff 
and caked with filth as to make it difficult to get into them, that it 
is considered at all necessary to have them washed. The dairies of 
today, which are producing certified milk, furnish their milkers with 
a clean, white uniform every day. If we could do away with the 
long standing blue jeans and adopt a white suit we should realize 
very soon that the cow stables need cleaning up, and that the length 
of time required for a pair of overalls to become soiled is much 
shorter than was supposed formerly. 
Milkers are not as particular about washing their hands before 
