78 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 
duced or a combination of these two conditions. It is per- 
fectly possible to produce milk containing a very low num- 
ber of bacteria, a fact which has been demonstrated by many 
producers of so-called “sanitary” or “certified” milk. Con- 
sumers in general at the present time are not willing to pay 
the increased price charged for the so-called ‘‘certified” 
grades of milk which are now available in practically all 
cities. It is not to be expected that producers in any kind of 
business will sell their products for less than the cost of 
manufacture or production plus a small margin of net profit 
and with the present high prices for feeds and farm labor the 
‘cost of production can not be materially increased without 
increasing the price of the product. It is hardly to be ex- 
pected that milk consumers in general will be willing to pay 
much higher prices for their milk than they have been ac- 
customed to paying. It is only as their knowledge of actual 
conditions increases and they appreciate more fully the value 
of wholesome milk that they can be expected to pay more for 
their milk. It is not reasonable to expect that this change 
will be brought about rapidly. The increase in the demand 
for milk of high grade at a considerably increased price will, 
therefore, be relatively slow. Meanwhile health boards and 
city officials are requiring a gradual improvement in the gen- 
eral milk supply. This will necessitate the shutting out from 
the market the product of an occasional producer who will 
not comply with the necessary standards for the production 
and handling of his milk. Most dairymen, however, are very 
willing and ready to improve the quality of their milk if it 
can be done without materially increasing the cost. In order 
to produce and deliver to the consumer a good wholesome | 
grade of milk it is necessary to have a healthy herd kept in 
good healthful stable conditions. The milk must be kept as 
free as possible from dirt contamination and the product must 
be immediately cooled and held at a temperature low enough 
to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria. It is not the purpose 
of this article to deal with the general problems of sanitary 
milk production but simply to discuss briefly one of the im-- 
portant ways in which the cleanliness of milk may be in- 
creased. Most of the detrimental changes which occur in milk 
are caused by bacteria. The chief source of these organisms 
is the dust and dirt which fall into the milk, principally while 
the milk is being drawn from the cow and before it leaves 
the stable. Any means, therefore, for preventing the en- 
trance of dirt into the milk during the process of milking . 
will tend to improve the sanitary quality of the product. One 
