92 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 
is to reduce the amount of external contamination to just 
as low a point as possible. The pail is intended to be used 
as a stool by the milker. A spout is attached to one side of 
the pail to the top of which two rubber tubes are attached 
each tube having a funnel shaped enlargement at the upper 
end, about 114 inches by 2 inches across at the top. These fun- 
nels are attached to the hands of the milker by elastic bands 
so that each funnel is held directly under the end of the teat 
from which the milk is being drawn. This device reduces 
the area in which dirt can get into the milk to a very small 
space and a few preliminary tests indicate that the device is 
very effective in excluding bacteria from the milk.* It is 
somewhat inconvenient, however, to hold the rubber tubes 
attached to the hands during the process of milking and it 
is doubtful if this device in its present form would prove 
to be practical for milking any number of cows. It might, 
however, prove very satisfactory for milking one or two cows 
where a specially fine quality of milk is desired for home 
consumption. This pail is still in the experimental stage 
and it is possible that the inventor may make such changes 
as to make it a practical pail of high efficiency for general 
use. This pail is at least of more than passing interest as 
illustrating the effort being put forth to produce a device 
which shall be as effective as possible in the production of 
milk free from external dirt and bacterial contamination. 
% 
VALUE OF A STRAINER USED WITH COVERED PAILS. 
The notion that all milk should be strained after it is 
drawn from the cow is deeply seated in the minds of all 
dairymen. This practice is useful as a means of removing a 
portion of the dirt from milk produced under average condi- 
tions in the ordinary way. Dairymen consider this practice 
so essential that it is only natura! that when covered pails 
came into use it was considered necessary to have some sort 
of a straining device on the pail so that the milk would be 
strained as it entered the pail. As a result of this belief that 
milk must be strained we find all of the early covered pails 
equipped with some sort of a strainer, usually either cloth or 
absorbent cotton and in some cases both. Certain experi- 
ments made by the writer have shown that it is not always de- 
sirable to strain milk and, in fact, it may be detrimental to 
*It has been necessary for the writer to report this work sooner than 
would be desirable in order to close up his work in connection 
with the Station before assuming his duties in his new position 
at Cornell University. 
