The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-04-11
MILK SHOULD BE CLEAN.
Gold Medal Article of a Lee County
Boy Indicating Dangers of Impure
MIX and How to Avoid Them.

MIR by Mr.. Charles ]. Lennon, Of
Lynchburg, S c., who graduated from
Clemson In the agricultural class Of
1905. The article, which is repro
duced below, condensed in some
places, won the gold medal. which was
offered by that publication. Now that
dairying proper and the production OF
milk on the ordinary farm is receiving
more and more attention in this State.
Mr.. Lemmon's excellent article will be
read with much interest by many.
MIX. with its products. constitutes
one OF the most important human
xoods. Almost every individual Of our
population uses more or less milk, and
often depends largely upon it for gus
tenance, especially babies and invalids.
The impurities Of milk. due to ignor-
ance and carelessness, often cause the
death OF such persons. The value OF
milk and milk products produced in
the United States in the last census
year, 1900, is given by AIyord as $685.
s15,354. This is greater than the val
ne OF metallic minerals produced in
the same year, including pig iron, gold,
copper, lead, zinc and other minerals.
1t is estimated that the amount of
MIX used as market milk Ca small
part of it condensed) is equivalent to
the products Of about 100000 cows,
the milk used for butter making
equals the product Of 100000 and
FOR cheese making 100000 cows,
making a total OF 100000 cows in
the United States.
From the above statement Of the
great importance Of milk as a human
food. and from the figures showing
its vast production, is realized more
fully the great necessity for every pro-
ducer to know how to put on the mar
ket, and for every farmer to know how
: TO put on his table clean product.
Let US first consider the sources Of
Infection, ap3 then how to eliminate
these as far as practicable.
The udder IS a source Of infection,
which is easily understood when we
remember that the teat orifce is large
enough for the lead of a lead pencil
to be inserted. Milk is one Of the best
media for the development of bacteria.
The orifce Of the teat is slightly damp
and warm, which condition is highly
favorable to Infection, and the muscles.
do not offer any resistance to the up
ward progress of as small things as
germs. That bacteria come from an
external source, pass through the milk
heat and 1--we within the gland is evi-
dent. In one test it has appeared that
bacteria may be formed IN all parts Of
the gland. Others show that milk in
the upper ducts is sterile; that is, con-
tain no bacteria: whereas the lower
ducts at the upper portion Of the teat,
and the teat itself are always full Of
bacteria. They are, therefore, present
in sufficient quantities to contaminate
the milk, especially during the first
part Of the milking.
q lit has been shown by a number Of
experiments that the intervals be.
tween mi1kings, whether short or long,
make little or no difference. A fact
which seems to indicate that the bac-
terra develop to certain extent, and
then are checked in their growth by
some unknown cause.
We have considered the normal ud-
der as a source Of Infection; now let
ns consider diseased udders. First let
us see how the milk is secreted. It is
formed by the activities Of the aggre-
CATION of glands Of the udder. The
udder is not an excretory organ, and
we should not expect poisonous sub
stances Of bacteria to be given off to
this organ because nature has provid-
ed 1t to furnish food to the animal
young. The blood furnishes the udder
with nutrition, which enables it to Sc
crete milk very much like it furnishes
nutrition through the umbilical cord
to the developing young.
When the udder is the seat Of the in
lection there is an absolute danger Of
the milk's being infected by coming
IL centaot with the infectious bacteria
that produced the disease. But in
such case it would be incorrect to say
that the COW secretes contaminated
milk. though at the point of secretion
1t is sterile, fact which has been es-
tablished by examining a number OF
udders Baum, a German bacteriolo-
gist, concludes from experiments Of MS
own and from a review of the Htera-
ture on the subject, that the use Of
raw milk of cows suffering from tu-