The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-12-20
CLEANLINESS.
Always Important, 1t is Especially So In
and Around the Dairy.

and Around the Dairy.
We never remember coming nearer to
getting thoroughly out of all patience
with visitor towards whom we knew
we ought for family acquaintance sake
to retain friendly relations, than when
an old farmer once came to visit us on
churning day, and persisted in chewing
or smoking tobacco continually, and
also in holding his tobacco streaked
chops over the churn, over the butter
worker and over the packing boxes, fol
the purpose of seeing, smelling and
tasting the product, that he might re-
turn home and tell his aoomea folks how
they ought to make butter SO that he
could get a fancy price for the dairy
goods of his own farm. We made that
man believe that feed and the care of
the coaUs were of the very first import
dnce, and led him to the stable and
turned him over to the hired man, with
special instructions to take the gentle
ma. CD over the entire premises and
show and explain everything, if it took all
day. We do not believe that COW is
necessarily unclean because she is COW,
nor a stable dirty because it is stable,
nor a farmer filthy because he is a
farmer; nor do we believe that milk is
such terribly sensitive substance that
there is not one chance in a hundred of
its reaching the consumer pure and
wholesome from the hands of reasona-
bly, careful and neat farmers.
We believe that just as clean milk can
be brought from the stable by a man
who has MIXED while wearing clean
cowhide shoes and blue denim overalls,
as by one dressed in silk stockings and
embroidered slippers, yet we like to
have stable so planned and cared for
that one can safely visit it, if need be.
with the same shoes that are worn in
the house. There is not the least
danger of being over-neat about dairy
stable, or dairy room, and so we may
well excuse those writers and teachers
who really overestimate the necessity
for nicely in all dairy work, for they
err, if they err at all, in the right direc-
ton.
We have written this after reading the
following letter from correspondent to
the New York Tribune, whose ex-
perience reminds us so forcibly of
the tobacco user who so seriously
annoyed us, but without seeming to
realize that he was doing anything that
could be objected to. We do not expect
our friend will see this, or if he should,
he will probably think it refers to
some one else, as most of us are apt to
when our minister breaches pointed
sermons, but it ought to be read by
every farmer who imagines that tobac-
co can be mixed into milk or butter in
moderate quantities without injuring it
for other folks. Of course tobacco chew
ers who use milk or butter, as food, mix
them more or less for their own use, but
then they follow their own taste in the
matter.
THE PIPE IN THE MILK PAIL.
THE virtue of cleanliness grows by
experience, by gradual clearing of the
mental sight, just as perfect morality
is of slow and continuous growth; as
when one climbs hill his view en-
larges as he rises, and when he reaches
the summit he perceives with surprise
how much was hidden from him before.
So when he begins to practise this vir-
tue in the dairy it grows upon him, SIM
ply because his mind is fixed upon it,
and he sees things which before escaped
his notice. Now the stable is generally
inexpressbly nasty to sight and scent,
but it is wholly unnecessary that it
should be SO. There are stables in
which one might find nothing disagree
able, and in which the air is purer than
in many dwelling-houses A man whose
house is not perfectly clean viii never
have a clean stable, simply because he
does not know what perfect cleanliness
is.
IA neighbor and have had many .
discussion on this point. He says am
cranky, because asked him once not
to smoke his excessively black pipe in
my milk-room. The other day he was
smoking as he MIXED one of his cows,
and the pipe dropped from his mouth
into the full pail was there at the
time and quietly remarked: You will
have to strain that milk twice. No
more smoking for me about milking
replied he. This fixes it. If SO much
pipe as that is too bad for anything, less
of it must be bad too l have often
thought about it since you asked me not
to smoke in your milk-room.' The re-
quest was revelation to him; just as
sometimes some great wickedness re-
veals to a man how bad he has been,
and causes total reformation. And
certainly there lie wonderful need Of
reformation in regard to cleanliness i
~ dairy. "-NsW En0lond Farmer.