The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1906-04-13

over half million bacteria per cubic cent?
meter, we will spill it and you will lose it.
One man might say that is very liberal, but
another farmer who is in the habit of sending
milk with million or two million bacteria,
would say that such regulation is most IN
reasonable, that the city has no right to ask
four or five times as good milk as is now sent.
As a matter of fact, it is easy enough to keep
the bacteria down to 5000 or 10000. Mr..
Van Wagenen will tell you how this can be
done. ] want to tell you how it must not be
done. Ii must not be done by adding to the
milk any chemical preservative of any sort.
All of you receive circulars, and many OF you
see statesmen, representing that certain sub
stances. usually sold under misleading names,
will keep milk in Just the same way that ice
will keep it. They will also tell you that some
of these things are gases, and that when they
do the work of refrigeratiug the milk they dis
appear and cannot be detected. A patent
medicine man could not tell bigger lie than
this. There is no substance which will take
the place of ice in preserving milk, aud there
is no substance which will disappear so tina!
its presence cannot be easily detected by
chemical examination. Most of those patent
things contain formaldehyde, and formalde
hyde is also the basis of the most popular EN-
balming hnids used by undertakers. The peo-
pie of Baltimore are convinced that they do
not want any embalmed milk. If any farmer
sends down to Baltimore a milk containing
only thousand bacteria or SO, We know that
some such substance has been added to the
milk, and it can always be proven by cheml-
cal examination. Neither do we want any
painted milk Farmers are not very apt to
stain their milk to please city customers; that
is more often done by the city dealer.
You may say to us, suppose we comply
| with these requirements, do you think the peo-
pie in Baltimore will do their part? They
can nasty up the milk just as much as the far
mer can, and we know that they are not very
particular because every now and then our
cans bring back from the city potato peellng
and ashes, and all sorts of city dirt We have
an idea there are as many dirty people IN the
city as there are on the farms. All | can
say in answer TO this is, that we will do the
best we can to make the city people take care
of good milk after they get it. Sometimes q
farmer sends down can of milk with bull
frog in II, or a rat, or an old stralnIng cloth,
but on the whole We have TO admit that Just as
much city dirt goes out to the farm as country
dirt comes into the city. We will mend mat
tiers in the city as fast as we can, and We hope
that you will mend matters as fast as you can
at your end of the line. Think over this pro
position of ours and make up your mind
whether you do not want to go deeper into
this business. which as | have said, Is certain
TO grow. In May, when we open our milk
exhibit in Baltimore, come down and see II.
You can learn a great deal down there, and
you can get such an idea as you never had be
fore of the importance of the business IN which
you are engaged, and into which we want you
to go more deeply. You will meet the peo
pie who use the milk that you produce, and
you will see that they are learning something
about the milk business. You will see that
we are trying to teach the people Of Baltimore
how to take care of good milk when they get
it, aud how to know good milk when they see
it. You viii see ,he women Of the city learn
ing that four-tenIhs of pint Ct milk per head
is nothing like the amount Of milk which
they eau use and ought to use. They will get
more confidence in milk. They will grow
more skillfu in using il as daily ration, and
if We can teach only 200 or 800 Of them TO use
milk in an intelligent way. aud IN an SEQ
nomea way 10 feeding their families, that
knowledge will spread aud spread, aud you can
depend upon it that. over and above the 10
creased business which will result fron the
growth Of the city, there will be an absolute
increase in the per capita amount Of milk used.
We are going 10 make good, ttroug market.
We want you TO make more milk and better
milk. have no doubt We will make good on
our end Of the proposition. Il is for you te
say what you viii do at your end Of the pro
posltioe.