74 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
to be handled by any person suffering from or even recover- 
ing from one of the contagious diseases above mentioned. 
»ositive evidence has been found of epidemics of diphtheria, 
and probably, also, scarlet fever, produced by the handling of 
milk by a person who was just recovering from these diseases. 
In consequence, the best milk companies try to prevent any 
persons who are suffering or recovering from typhoid fever or 
scarlet fever, or other contagious diseases, from having any- 
thing to do with the handling of the milk. The milk is thus 
guarded far more carefully than it was in earlier years. “itis 
not only prevented from coming in contact with such sus- 
picious attendants, but it is even prevented from coming into 
the vicinity of such patients. Here again it must be admitted 
that the attempt to guard against contamination by disease 
germs is as yet only a partial success. The difficulty of con- 
trolling the methods on individual farms is well nigh insur- 
mountable, but the better milk supply companies have the rule 
that as soon as a contagious disease appears upon any farm, 
the milk from that farm shall no longer be received by the milk 
company until the local health board have pronounced that the 
conditions adopted on the farm are perfectly satisfactory 
and safe. : 
With this same purpose in view, more attention has been 
paid in recent years to the water which is used on the farm for 
washing the milk vessels. The well known fact that the 
typhoid fever germ may live in and is frequently distributed by 
water, and especially by well water, has led to the conclusion 
that many an epidemic of typhoid fever has been produced by 
the fact that improper water has been used in washing the 
milk cans. Indeed, several epidemics of typhoid fever have 
been traced to such causes. Therefore, more care is being 
taken each year in scrutinizing the source of the water which 
is to be used by the dairymen. In some cities the milk com- 
panies actually make a chemical analysis of the water upon the 
farm before they will admit a farmer among its patrons. 
When a farmer desires to sell milk to these companies, the 
companies send inspectors. who examine his farm as to its 
sanitary condition, and end by making an analysis of the 
water, and if the analysis shows the water to be impure they 
either insist that the farmer shall obtain a better supply, or 
refuse to accept his milk, 7 
