Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-05-04
COMMUNICATION
On MILK

To the Intelligeneer Too much
cannot be said to bring about the sup
ply of pure sanitary milk to our peo-
pie, but accurate knowledge should be
possessed by those who essay to teach.
This thought is suggested by the re-
marks of "Dairyman" in your issue
Of Oath inst. He says beware of milk
and cream that keeps sweet in warm
weather. The caution to the reader
it seems should have been to beware
of milk or cream that does not keep
sweet a reasonable time in warm wealth
or. If it does not it either has been
produced or kept amid unsanitary sur
roundings. This is so true that the
better thought today condemns the
pasteurizing of milk. For pasteuriz-
ing only kills the germs, that cleanli-
ness would not have permitted to en-
ter the milk in sufficient numbers to
injure it and of course leaves them
there in decaying condition. 1t is
this that gives to pasteurized cream or
milk its fat insipid taste.
Inasmuch as it is the custom to pur-
chase milk daily to be used during the
day or at most during 36 hours it seems
fair to presume that "Dairyman"
casts suspicion ON milk that does not
turn sour within that time. The fact
Is that milk produced under proper
sanitary conditions and then kept in a
reasonably cool place will remain
sweet for from fifty to sixty hours. At
the Briar Cliff farm milk was drawn
from COWS after first placing them in
quarters of absolute cleanliness and
Immediately bottled and sealed under
same conditions. These were sent to
the dairy authorities at the Paris ex-
position. The milk was there opened
twenty days after date of milking and
found to be as sweet and fresh as when
drawn from the COWS. 1t is not con-
tended that there were no germs in
the milk. 1t is impossible to exclude
them by our present method of draw
ing milk from COWS. But conditions
were such as to prevent their multiply
ing. 1t is the multiplication of germs
that produce acidity and other bad
tastes in milk.
A misleading inference may be
drawn from what "Dairyman" says
about bottled milk. 1t is fair to pre-
sumo that he dispenses his milk from
the large can, either by dipping or by
drawing from the bottom of the can.
II secured by dipper the lid must be
taken off and remain off for some time
to serve each customer. During all
this time the milk is exposed to the
dust-the dust with all its filthy sug-
gestions of the street. This is not all I;
the milk is drawn into an open vessel
and this exposed in the house to the
odors Of the pantry or refrigerator.
Only little less Objectionable are the
conditions of drawing from the bot
tom Of the can. Hundreds and thou
sands of the Objectionable germs have
ound entrance into the milk under
these conditions. Connect this with
the idea of bottled milk, where the
milk is in a sealed bottle. Until bot
tied nothing was in the milk except
that which found entrance from the
time Of milking until bottled. The
difference in favor of it's purity and
cleanliness admits of no comparison.
Dairyman having sufficient pride in
their business and regard for the
health of their customers to incur the
expense and, it is no inconsiderable
item to undergo the labor of bottling
the milk, will have sufficient regard
for the health Of their customers to
every day thoroughly cleanse and steri-
lize the bottle after USE
1t is within the last ten or twelve
years that the bottling of milk has
been adopted. At this time about one
tenth Of the milk Of the country is in
bottles. An intelligent public senti-
ment will soon command that it all be
sold in that way.
There can be nothing more import
ant than supplying pure and sanitary
milk to the public. Many among the
best cientiflc minds of this and other
countries are engaged in the problem
of bringing it about. We are glad that
In Danville we have such as DAIRY
man" to call attention of the people to
the subject.
V. V. VINCENT.