Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-04

4
that the theories advanced by other men,
| bers of the commission. who are not dairy
| men or experienced in handling either cows
or their products. will be found Impractical
| and impossible of execution In the daily
/ conduct Of business. The letter inspired
! lively debate when, 1t was presented at the
| meeting OF the commission. 1t reads, In
full, as follows:
Mr.. Horner's Letter.
las a member Of the milk commission
appointed by the Commissioners some
| weeks ago to investigate and propose
means for improving the milk supply In
the city Of Washington, permit me to pre-
| sent to the milk commission and the pub
lie my views on the subject from pracu-
| cal standpoint. have had over twenty
years experience as milk producer In
| Virginia and as a milk dealer in this city.
I think, therefore. that I am qualified as
a practical dairyman to speak as one nav
| ing knowledge of cows and milk. ana
| farm and at the dairy in the city In order
| to obtain the most satisfactory results to
all concerned.
| II desire to condne my remarks unoer
| five heads
Temperature of milk.
1 Certified milk.
"Pasteurized milk.
| Municipal dairy.
| Reasonable regulations.
Temperature Of Milk.
| ''At the meeting Of the commission held
April IT. 1907. 1 believe 1t was the sense
Of the meeting that milk should not be
| cooled above the maximum temperature
of fifty degrees Ny Juagment tells me this
temperature is too low by at least eight
/ or ten degrees and that ffty-eight or sixty
degrees Is low enough to reduce the milk
| to keep it perfectly sweet, provided that
the milk is cooled Immediately after being
taken from the individual cow. It WIN stake take
my reputation as a dairyman that milk
| cooled to sixty degrees Immediately after
milking each cow, and havin: the cans
properly jacketed, could be shipped one
| hundred miles with perfect safety, or In
| other words, II milk handled In that way
could reach the dairy within four or five
| hours after milking, 1t would stay sweet
forty-eight to seventy-two hours. provided
| also that the milk was properly handled
by being kept in ice chests after 1t reaches
the dairy.
There is not one farper in fly who
would mean that he would be compelled to
provide an ice house or cold storage IA
| cilities, and in this climate 1t Is practf-
these things, unless he goes to a great
| de.l of additional expense, which he could
not afford to do at the present prices re-
ceived for milk, and no one would be
''The difficulty we are laboring under in
| a large number Of cases Is this: The pro-
Queer milks his whole herd before starting
to cool. consequently the harm has been
4 done by the animal heat remaining in the
| milk too long before cooling. No matter
| II 1t Is afterwards cooled down to forty
or even thirty degrees, after the animal
heat has remained in the milk so long
| time the harm is done, and as soon as
the temperature commences to rise after
| delivery to the consumer, then the fermen-
takes ta coo his milk the to
| the people in general must suffer, as the
expense falls on the public In that event,
| as the price Of the milk would have to De
greatly increased in order to provide the
means for the farmer to use ice or cold
| storage.
Daily Examination for Certihcatioh.
Certified milk would probably be good
! II the COW could be inspected before each
| milking, but who is to bear the expense
of inspectors to be at each milking to see
| that each cow Is in perfect condition
when MIXED. It is all right for those
| who wish to pay extra, but to make it
regulation or to have the doctors scare
the mothers SO that they feel they are
neglecting their infants by not using GER
| titled milk is not right. :: ..'.s.-
| IF the milk be analysed daily and In
I spectors go to the farms only periodically
| to inspect the cows. would IKE TO know
| how the health officer can certify that this
| luilk is all right and fit for use under these
| conditions. We all know that a cow may
| be In good condition at night, but IN the
| morning she may be all wrong, and 1t is
utterly impracticable, In my judgment, to
certify milk under these conditions, as a
| certificate would amount to nothing. we
| now have our periodical inspections, under
the direction of the health department and
! II Is doing a great deal of good. The only
| proper way, as I said, for certified milk to
| be an absolutely sure test that the milk Is
pure is to have each-eow inspected by a
| conscientious inspector, who has knowledge
| of the subject, each time cow Is MIXED
| then to have the milk properly cooled i'm
| mediately, then have each can OF milk
| analysed before distributing, Wh1ch Is ut
terly impracticable and would be an abso-
| lutte impossibility under the present condi-
lions and at the present prices of. milk.
IF the milk is handled In sanitary
! and generally speaking that is the case
| now (there are exceptions, no doubt, and
always will be), the public would receive
pure milk as nature intended 1t to be used,
| but IL 1t Is the idea of the commission to
| have a herd of cattle inspected only once
4 month. then certified milk will not be certi-
| fed milk except in name, as COW may be
| well at one milking and unweu at another,
and its milk then would not be fit for use,
! and the certificate would be misleading.
Problem Of Pasteurization.
1.-THE suggestion has been made by some
| of the physicians and theorists that all
milk should be pasteurized before being
sent to the consumer. This Is another mis-
| take from a practical standpoint and should
not be made obligatory upon the dairymen.
because 1t is only a loophole for people to
use milk that is unfit for use and should
not be sold at ALL. Pasteurized, milk does
not agree with every. one. It takes certain
| qualities out of the milk. which are not
| unhealthy. or. in other words the majority
of people prefer the natural taste Of the
milk, and those OF the public who desire
| to have the milk pasteurtzed should be
taught to pasteurize the milk in their own
homes, and I think the problem would
then be solved and the public benefited,
| but IL all milk, by law, should be pas
| teurized. in my opinion. the public in gen.
eral would suffer.
Municipal Dairy.
Theoretically 1t would sound like q good
thing to have everything done by govern
ment inspectors. government cattle and
government handling at the city end, and
have all the regulations that have been
| suggested by the theorists put into opera
ton by the establishment Of municipal