The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-02-04

There is growing tendency TO make
reforms in the dairies and there Is no
department on the farm which de-
mands more consideration than the
present methods of handling both
cows and their milk. II is claimed that
there is more filth and less care in
dairying than In almost any other oc-
cupation. The milk is to be sold
and the dealer is not particular while
the consumer is In blissful ignorance
of any of the conditions affecting the
preparation of milk. Milk passes
through so many hands from the COW
to the consumer as to render the mat
ter OF obtaining pure and clean milk
a difficult one. The dairyman consoles
himself with the fact that he strained
the milk before selling II, but the
strainer does not remove soluble filth.
A pinch of salt or sugar In milk is not
arrested by the strainer, nor is any
other substance that is dissolved by
the milk during the act of milking.
Those who handle cows know that II
Is not unusual for a cow to get down
on the floor Of her stall to rest, without
regard to whether the floor Is covered
with manure or urine, and her udder
and teats may have rested during the
night on heap of fresh manure. The
COW Is not as clean as the hog as far
as selecting n suitable place for resting
Is concerned, and where the dairyman
himself is careless and does not keep
the stalls clean, as well as brush and
even wash the cows, IL Is almost i'm
possible TO have clean milk. It Is graft
flying to notice. however, that some
dairymen wash the udders and teats
of the cows at every milking. wiping
with clean towels, avoiding every
chance of filth entering the milk, but
such dairymen get good prices, which
are secured by their regulations for
skillful management of their cows and
their products.
The ordinary dairyman Injuries his
business and loses profit by purchas-
ing fresh cows from other parties.
Some of them will sell a good COW as
soon as she becomes dry and buy one
in her place that is fresh. but which
may be much inferior to the one sold.
Then there is the liability of bringing
disease, as that great scourge of the
dairyman-abortion among cows-is
contagious, being carried from one
herd to another through the practice
of selling the dry cows and buying 9TH
ers that may do harm and which may
l< l.
Then, again, the calves are taken from
the cows when two or three days old,
and the milk from their dams is added
to that taken from the other COWS of
the herd, although such milk is ropy
and usually unfit for use, being inju-
rious to children who are fed upon 1t.
The milk from fresh cows should go to
the calf until 1t is at least a month
old, but as the average dairyman milks
his cows for the purpose of selling
their produce he will not willingly sac
rifice to the calf an article that he can
put on the market. The result is that
the milk sold In the cities is of variable
quality, much of 1t is unclean, and
some of 1t unfit for human use. There
Is room for improvement, and there are
hundreds of consumers ready and will
ing to pay the dairyman for his extra
care IL he will provide them with milk
of the best quality. 1t may take time to
build up such trade, but any dairy
man will make 1t a point to seek such
customers and assure them that he
may be depended upon will find that
he cannot easily supply the demand.
The best milk is from good and
wholesome food. At this season of the
year pasturage cannot be provided or
the cows given an opportunity OF Sc
lection of good in the fields, but selec-
tion by the dairyman of the foods CIV
en- at the barn is a matter which should
not be overlooked. Each COW in herd
is an individual, and must be treated
are readily acceptable by the others
she should be allowed something which
to her is more palatable and a variety
of food is always better than the use of
single kind. as the health of the ami
mails can only be promoted by supply
ing them so as to satisfy their wants.
When a cow Is sick or "off her feed"
the milk is then unfit for use and
should be allowed to eat all that she re-
quires, as such cows are usually large
producers and demand more food than
inferior animals. Every dairyman
should breed his cows and make it q
point never to buy fresh one. II his
herd is healthy and free from disease
he can then keep his animals in good
condition with less difficulty, while the
yield Of milk from each COW will be
more than doubled in few years by
judicious breeding and selection. The
buying Of fresh cows by dairymen has
been the greatest curse that has ever
been encountered by them, as 1t Is the
foundation Of all diseases and losses
among the Observation-Disclosures Rec.
ord. ,,,r4