The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-04-05
SANITATION OF DIARIES
MAY BE CARRIED TOO FAR
Californian Describes ''Moder Cow Stable Where
Miniature Floods Are Turned Loose, Cows Are
Dying and Owner Going Bankrupt

The following communication. which
appeared March in Hoard's Dairyman,
published at Fort Atkinson, Wis, was
submitted to The Times by District
dairyman:
rs not the sanitation idea sometimes
carried to extremes IN the dairy bust
ness2 This is an age Of fads, and am
Inclined to lock with some suspicion
upon- some of the smart ideas and in
novations Of the day.
I recently visited a dairy in Cali
fornia. where I thought that things were
being somewhat overdone. OF course
these things are very fine in theory
but do not always pan out IN pfactice'
This was a good sized dairy, carrying
something ike 10 milk cows. Everything
was scrtlpuIously clean. but the poor
cows did not appear 10 enjoy life al all.
The barns were large and airy, which
was all right, but the floors. even 70
the tie-up floors. were all OF solid ce-
ment. smooth and hard on the surIsSe'
Then The barn yards and floors OF the
COW sheds were all paved Win the same
materials. And copious supply OF ar
fesfan water was turned loose upon the
slightest occasion. There was water.
atmosphere was damp and cold
/, Debauch Of Washing.
Attendants. who appeared TO ike the
f,,n we're busy much of the time sluic-
ing out the sewers, flushing the te-up
foors. washing OF the stanchions and
Managers. keeping everything in gen
eral moist and rheumatic condition Il
r,ado the floors moist and slippery and
The moo. cows walked gingeriy for fear
Of failing upon the hard rocky floors;
and /. fact. they did make frequent
sins I'D and 60 down, and / know tne
roor things could not help hurting
themselves
previous to each milking. the udder
and teats OF each COW had 10 be washed
of. and the mixers were required 10
wash their hands after milking every
second COW This has caused the teats
~ no cows 10 chap and crack and some
Of them were actually bleedlng. ana
observed shat the hands OF the mixers
we're IN a very similar condition
Then. OF course. the sanitary Iad
had been carried into the milk Depart
meut: there were CHARTERS, steT1ilzeFs,
uasteurizers etc But the owner tcid
ne rbut his customers had drawn the
line at the last named appliance ana
ne had abandoned its use, The people
said that the natural richness OF TIE
milk was entirely lacking ana they
wanted an article having little more
body.
Road to Bankruptcy.
New the S.ct of the matter was that
the public had but slight appreciation
of ali this strenuous effort at extra
cleanliness and I imagine that II was
bringing Che ,!airyman every day near
er and nearer state of bankruptcy
And 10 show the quiXotic enthusiasm
OF this man in his campaign against MI
crobes. one need only to hear him de-
scribe his experience with the tuberculln
tsst. He had employed this only the
rear before and it had resulted IN the
decin9atio. of his herd by about 80 per
/ cent and IL had carried il TO such an
extreme that the live stock men OF the
community had absolutely boycottefi
him. refusing TO sell him a dairy animal
al anv price So, in order TO replenish
his stock o. milk cows. he was obliged
to travel ne country over, picking UP
one here ard one there, just as ne could
find it.
cleanliness. the herd was not doing Wei,
as the mar himself was ready to ad-
nit Some OF them appeared TO be all
ing IN one way or another All the time
re was also having bad luck with his
: lily while others appeared 70 nave
me kind of fever and a calf would
die of every few days from no very aP-
rarent cause.
Killing OF Cows.
Now it was quite plain that this man
was crank. and it would be only a
question of time when he would come
10 ruin
1T was simply sanitation nm mad.
"He was killing of his cows by slow
torture The poor things wanted good
old mother earth to stand upon and lie
down upon They wanted plenty of
good. pure water to drink. but did not
want a food of It round about them.
above and below.
They did-not want cold. drafty sheds.
with hard wet floors but a sheltered
nook where the sun could reach them
Whenever It pesped forth from the win
try skies.
Z imagine it must have Been very
po1r milk taat this dairy dispensed. be-
cause IL could not be possible that cows
| that looked so sorry as these did would
give good milk ID the first place; and
after that it was put through several
thinning processes, all in the name OF
sanitary REFORM
Is Science Blundering.