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Milk produced under Different Conditions in Bangalore
main agencies supplying milk are:—(i) dairy
farms, (ii) travelling milch cows, (iii) town-milk
stables a part of which is also retailed through
middlemen—distributors; (iv) milk hawkers;
(v) town dairies; (vi) the village produced milk,
most of which comes in from distances varying
from 2 to 20 miles and passes to the customers
through dairies, milk being also retailed by
hawkers; in the case of a few nearby villages,
all or part of the output is retailed by the pro-
ducer himself; and in addition to the above
sources, (vii) some citizens maintain animals
for their domestic supply. In order to study
the quality of milk obtained from the above
sources, samples were taken in each case at the
production as well as the supply end. The diff-
erent sources examined and the conditions of
production and handling of milk observed at
each source are described below:
(i) Dairy farm (Institute Farm)
(a) Individual animals (cows and buffaloes).
Grooming, washing and feeding were completed
about half an hour before milking. Milking was
done by hand in a sanitary byre using covered
top and sterilized milking pails after the neces-
sary preliminary precautions of washing and
disinfecting hands and udders and discarding
the foremilk. Samples were taken from the
milking pail on the completion of milking and
held in a frigidaire cabinet (45°—50F.) for
about 1½ hr. before examination.
(b) Herd milk (cow and buffalo). Milk
obtained from individual animals was imme-
diately carried to the weighing and collecting
room and strained through a cotton filter pad
before weighing. After weighing, the milk was
transferred to 8 to 10 gallon sterilized cans
which were kept closed. Each churn took
between 15 and 20 minutes to fill and represen-
ted the milk from 5 to 10 animals. Cow and
buffalo milks were collected separately. Sam-
ples were drawn from the filled cans and held
in the frigidaire for about 1½ hr. before exa-
mination.
(c) Dairy milk (cow and buffalo). The cans
of milk, after standing in the milk collecting
room for about two hours, were conveyed to the
dairy (a distance of about 300 yds.), in a covered
hand drawn truck. Samples of cow and buffalo
milks were taken separately and immediately
examined. Each sample represented the pro-
duction of about 100 cows and 20 buffaloes.
(ii) Travelling milch cows.
In this system of milk supply the owner
moves his animal from door to door, draws milk
under the supervision of the customers till the
animal is milked dry. The animals appeared to
have been washed before being brought in.
Udders were washed with water and milking
then done in the open on the road-side by hands
previously washed with water. Samples for
examination were drawn from the milk measures
before they were emptied into the customers
containers.
(iii) Town stables
The stables were of kachcha construction,
with poor drainage. The surroundings and the
cattle were not cleaned properly. Cleaning of
utensils was done by scouring with mud and
rinsing out with water. Milking was done in an
open top cylindrical milking vessel in an un-
clean manner. Milk was then collected in con-
tainers or cans and samples for examination
were taken from these cans each samples re-
presenting the production of six to eight
animals.
(iv) Milk howkers
The milk hawkers used milk cans made of
galvanized iron or aluminium or tinned iron of
2 to 30 lb. capacity. The cans were carried
either hanging on bicycle handles or on the head.
The cans had no protection against sun and dust
other than their loose fitting lids. Samples for
examination were taken from the cans between
6 and 8 a.m. when the milk was about two to
four hours old since drawn.
(v) Town dairies
The dairies from where samples of milk were
taken handled between 100 and 500 lb. of milk
daily and some of them were situated in busy
bazar localities. The equipment for handling
milk consisted of galvanised iron or tinned brass
drums, buckets and measures. The source of
water supply was the municipal tap and no
dairy was provided with proper cleaning facili-
ties. These dairies obtained their milk supplies
from villages and town milk stables and the
milk was therefore, about two to five hours, old
when received. Retailing was done at the
counter and also at the customers' houses
through roundsmen. The method of handling
the milk was very unsatisfactory. Samples for
examination were taken at the counter between
8 and 10 A.M. when the milk was about four to
five hours old.
(vi) Village milk
Samples of mixed milk (cow and buffalo)
were taken from villages adjoining the Imperial