The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-09-19
M2skk Rarttt.
TAINTED MILK.

ed milk. He says:
Perhaps the most prolific cause of
bad milk in such instances, results from
the cows drinking the water of stag
nant pools, tramping through swails Of
mud, which are alive with filthy organ
isms of decomposing vegetable or ami
NAL matter. Experience and scientific
investigation have established the fact
that milk is spoiled in the cows bag
simply on account of the cow inhaling
bad odors while at pasture. We have
numerous instances where deaconed
calves thrown out and left exposed in a
portion of the pasture-where dead
horses and the carcasses of other ami
mails have been allowed to purify
that the cows inhaling the stencil from
these decaying remains of animal mat
ter the milk has taken putrid faint
before being drawn from the bag. l
have seen numerous cases where the
milk has received faint from the par
ticles of dust falling from the cows into
the pail while milking, and unsupported
of doing harm by the mixer. In the
Summer of 1870, while on visit to
Mr.. L. B. Arnold, of Tompkins county,
New York, 1 saw an instance of dust
innoculating milk brought to the fac
tory. When the milk was received at
the factory window, there was no rea-
son to suspect faint from any particu-
lar dairy. The delivery from the sew
eral patrons went into the vat together
and was set in the usual manner with
rennet But during the process of heat
ing up the curds most intensely foul
and disagreeable odor was emitted
The cheese maker sent for Mr. Arnold
and myself, and we went down to the
factory together. We found the curds
then about half scalded, giving off a
stencil exceedingly offensive smell
like that coming from nasty mud-hole
stirred up and exposed to the air in hot
weather. There was no installing the
peculiar odor, and suggested at once
that some of the patrons were allowing
their cows to slake their thirst from
stagnant pools He afterward traced
the milk to it's source, and found the
trouble to come from one patron, who,
after turning his cows to the afterfeed,
had allowed them to cross narrow
slough, where particles of mud adher-
ing to the udder and hair, and becom-
ing dry, the dust entered the milk dur
ing the milking, and had introduced a
class of fungi, which, by their multiple
cation, spoiled the milk. The patron
had meant no harm. He had taken
every precaution, so far as his knowl-
edge extended, for the delivery of good
milk, and on correcting the fault the
trouble ceased. Another case is in
point, which occurred the Summer of
1871. Prof. Law, of Cornell Univer-
sity, gets his supply of milk from
milkman. One day, during thei hot
weather, he observed popularity in
the cream rising on the milk furnished
by the milkman. 1t appeared to be.
ropy, and on subjecting Tito an exami-
nation under powerful microscope, it
was found to contain large number of
living organisms in different stages of
growth. Pushing his investigations
further, the Professor called upon the
milkman to inquire concerning the man.
agement and keeping of his cows, and
the manner in which the milk was
cared for Here he found, on looking
over the premises, that the cows, for
lack of good clean water-the season
being unusually dry-were forced to
slake their thirst in stagnant pool,
located in muddy swale. Taking
specimens of this water and examining
it under the microscope, the same class
of organisms was found as those in the
milk. 1t was now pretty evident where
the cause of the trouble lay; but to
make the matter more clear, specimens
of blood were taken from the cows and
examined under the microscope, when
these, also, were found to contain the
same class of organisms The animals,
on applying thermometer tests for de-
termining health and disease, were
found to be hot and feverish, thus show
ing that these living organisms intro
duced through the medium of the filthy
water and taken into the circulation,
and by their power of reproduction and
multiplication in the blood, became the
source of disease. Investigating still
further, particle of the filthy water
was introduced into milk free from such
organisms, and known from tests to be
in good order, and in a short time the
same filthy organisms multiplied and
took possession of it in vast numbers,
producing the same character of milk
as that first noticed. Other experiments
and Investigations were made, but all
similar in result to those | have de-
scribed.
In my report upon English dairies in
1866, made to the American Dairymen's
Association. called attention to the
character Of English milk as cleaner
than ours, and l attributed the fine
favored cheese of England, in a great
measure, to this cause. Nothing struck
me with more force than the care taken
by the Cheddar dairymen of Somerset
shire to get good milk The pastures
are well drained and provided with an
abundance of clear running water
There are no filthy pools or mud-holes
where cows are allowed to tramp and
ing sheds are open on one side, paved
with stone and cement. There is suffi-
Gent incline back Of the cows, so that
all the filth flows into the stone cutters;
and after milking all the droppings are
removed and the floors and cutters are
flushed with water, so that everything
is clean and sweet for the next milking
The liquid excrements and washings
are conducted into tank sunk into the
ground, outside of the milkhouse, and
from thence, as occasion requires, are
applied to growing crops. You will
see that, under this system of clean
pastures, clean stables and clean dairy
houses, better milk is obtained than
with US; and thus, with proper atten-
ton to curing cheese on the shelf, the
Englishman, with less skill than our
selves in cheese manufacture, is enabled
to make superior product l am