Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-08-27
WATER FOR COWS.
MILK Contamination Steam as
Cleanser of Dafry Utensils.

MIX Contamination - Steam as a
Cleanser of Dairy Utensils.
Typhoid fever has often been ascribed
to Il contaminated milk supply. AS
during the summer and fall, when this
disease prevails, cows are frequently
forced to get their drinking water from
sloughs and stagnant ponds which may
be contaminated with the germs of
typhoid fever, it Is important to know
whether such germs find their way in
to the milk supply through the cow or
by contamination of the milk after it
is drawn from the cow. An experiment
by Pernot at the Oregon agricultural
station gave negative results in trans
hitting germs from polluted water to
the milk supply through the cow but
does not prove that the danger does not
exist.
AS cows frequently stand in the wa
ter to escape flies or to cool themselves.
and their udders may thus become con-
taminated with the polluted water, eX-
perimcnts were made to determine to
what extent germs enter the teats in
this way. No germs were found. show
ing that germs were not taken into the
udder by capillary attraction through
the teat orifice."
Even if it should be proved that milk
is not contaminated in this way danger
Is not removed, because the body of a
COW which has been wading in impure
t.; 4f tho
tior since it is impossible to milk such
COW without particles of material
falling into the milk and carrying with
it innumerable germs. AS warm milk
is very suitable material for germs
to grow in, especially typhoid fever
germs. the number which would multi
ply in twelve hours from the few intro
duced at the time of milking would be
enormous and dangerous On this
point II. II. Forbes of the Arizona sta
ton says:
"When a cow wades belly deep into
a filthy pool fostering in the heat and
fouled with excretions, her milk will
inevitably suffer. Not only will the
foul odors of the water she drinks be
impaired in some measure to the milk,
but millions of bacteria, adherlng to
her hair and udder, will, when she is
dried off and MIXED, find their way as
dust into the milk pail. Quick souring
of milk in warm weather and undesira-
bic changes in butter and cheese,
caused by bacteria, result"
=
cient reasons why cows should be pre-
vented from having access to foul
water but there is the additional rea-
son of danger to the health of the ami
NAL from disease germs which may
be present.
Steam as a Cleanser In the Dairy.
Although the foregoing are dangers
that it is well worth while to guard
against, it is evident as Mr.. Pernot
points out. that outbreaks of typhoid
fever occur which, If the cause were
carefully traced, would be found to
come not from the milk as it leaves
the COW, but from vessels which had
been washed with contaminated
water" and he calls attention to the
fact that "since the advent of the
cream separator. which is usually
driven by steam power, steam has been
used to clean all the utensils in the
dairy. Not only is it efficient for this
purpose, but as germ destroyer there
is nothing better, because it penetrates
to the bottom of the seams and heats
the metal TO Sueh n degree as TO kill
dangerous germs"