The Washington times., 1905-01-11
MILK
STRENUOUS WORK
Constant Surveillance by
the Health Department.
DATA OF THE UNDERTAKING
Permits Number 4os-People Licensed
to Ship Into City s47-Cows
Examined, 1888.
DATA OF THE UNDERTAKING

That the people of Washington may
know when they pour copious supply
OF dairy milk over their breakfast food
every morning that they are getting real
milk and not a fluid destined to make
their days less long on the earth, they
heed only learn what the Health De-
partment is doing toward the inspection
OF dairy products.
The smoke inspector, in his mad rush
from chimney to chimney accommodating
evidence with which to hale manufac-
turers and other proprietors of steam
plants into court, probably stops once in
a while to wipe the perspiration from
his brow and long for life in the green
fields and grassy lanes, far from the
smoke of the city streets. He would
perhaps exchange his arGuous and I'M
thanked labors for an assignment as
milk Inspector to spend his days among
the gentle kline that contribute to Wash
irgton's daily milk supply
He Never Languishes.
But the inspection of dairy farms and
dairy products never languishes, though
the work of theinspectors does not fig
ure quite SO prominently in official
reports as that OF the smoke detective
Some idea of the extent and character
OF the work done during the past fiscal
year in the enforcement of the milk
law may be cleaned from figures sup
piled by the Health Officer. At last re
ports there were 40S permits in force to
maintain dairies and dairy farms by
permission of the Health Department,
while SAT people were licensed to bring
milk and cream into the District
IN the course of the work, II, 733 cows
have been inspected and all but 17s were
found without blemish. A cow suffering
from disease is promptly condemned.
Twenty-three applications to maintain
| dairies and ten to maintain dairy farms
were refused last year There have been
| 4,092 inspections OF s67 farms
Purity of Cream.
The production of cream is now under
supervision Of the Health Department,
whereas formerly, strangely enough, 2
farmer could sell the cream from milk
which he was not permitted to sell on
account of the condition of his herd.
The reports of inspectors concerning
The rating of farms and their milk
products are open to inspection, for the
dairy farmer to determine the weak
| points of his establishment as judged
| by the Health Department, and also for
any ClllZSil WIZ - iAtCitSiCo ia SiN
character of the milk supplied to him.
A similar record, showing the results OF
the chemical analysis of milk and cream
purchased from various dealers Is open
for inspection -
In rating the condition of the dairy
farms the inspectors take into consid-
Grafton the location of buildings, pas
| lures, etc, the water supply for cattle
and for milk utensils, the construction
| light, ventilation. drainage. and clean
| Illness of the stables, the size. location
drainage, and cleanliness Of the table
| yards, the feeding and watering, the
method of milking, and the care and
skill of the mixers, the milk room and
Utensils, the care and delivery of milk
and the breeding, condition, and heath
fulness of the cattle
Definition of Dairy"
| The law now terms any place where
milk Is sold a dairy for purposes OF
| inspection only, and does not compe
! the proprietors of such establishments
to comply with the regulations relating
/ to the sale of milk
OF the 1915 samples of milk examined
last year, 7.142 were taken from mill
wagons, diaries, grocery stores. and
other similar places, and OF these 2,07
| contained less than 31z per cent butter
| fat. and 529 less than 3 per cent
Only two samples of milk and one o.
cream have been found during the yeal
| to contain preservatives. One sample o.
| milk contained coloring matter.