Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-01-21
Are Our Dairy Barns Up to Date
From a Sanitary Point?

ocrst, Paris, Ne.
Are Our Dairy Barns Up to Date
From Sanitary Point?
The allegation made by the Massa
chusetts State Board of Health in iti
annual report, that "the milk supply
coming from Maine is distinctly inferior
in all respects to those of any Other
equal area visited" was resented by the
officials of the Maine Agricultural De
partment Augusta and especially by
those connected with the state dairy
commissioner office.
Now it occurs to us that this report is
liable to do world of good whether i,
is strictly true or not. 1t has been
known for some time that the authori-
ties in the large centres were demanding
better conditions where the milk sup
plies come from. For more than two
years they have been getting more and
more insistent upon the physical con-
ditions that obtain about the dairy
barns. Many New England dairymen
but now they can plainly see by this re-
port what they must comply with and
the quicker they get in line the better.
1t is useless to kick at the inspectors,
they are simply compelled to obey or
ders or get out. The only thing for
Maine dairymen to do is to ascertain
what is required and then furnish it or
change their business. There is no
chance for any compromise. You must
either play ball or retire.
knowing that this condition of affairs
was surely coming We have insisted that
dairymen should get higher price for
their product so that they could afford
to tit up for producing a No. article
under the most favorable conditions.
We are glad TO see that the report is
receiving the attention of some of our
state dairy officials.
Mr.. Sidney G. Thompson, who was
dairy Inspector for four years, when
shown the report of the Massachusetts,
board of health, characterized it as un-
fair and in some respects untrue. The
report stated that one-fourth of the
daireS visited in Maine were extremely
dirty, the condition of some of them be-
ing beyond the power of description
both as to cows and premises.
'Such statement as this" said Mr..
Thompson, sis msifestly unfair to those
who are familiar with the conditions in
this state. | understand that the in
spectors visited, if they did make any
visits at all, the dairies in the towns OF
Westbrook, Gorham, North Berwick
and Buxton. Now | am familiar with
that territory. retired from the office
of state dairy inspector the first OF April
and not great while before | left the
office visited these towns and am quite
familiar with the conditions there. l
am willing TO admit that some of the
daires in that section, as might be said
of the dairies in other sections of the
state, are not as clean as they could be,
but compared with the conditions in
New Hampshire, Vermont and Massa-
chusettts, | have seen dairies in those
sections which are infinitely worse than
ANYTHING that can be found in Maine.
The Massachusetts, inspectors have given
the entire dairy industry in Maine a
black eye without any justification, say
ing little about the conditions at home
and leaving the public to infer that
Names dairies are in horrible shape,
which is not true.
1.-The report also says that they found
the cows in poor condition and some OF
them diseased. Now Maine, in the sec
ton referred to particularly, is remark
ably clean in respect to diseased animals.
IL has recently passed through scath-
ing investigation by health officers and
by the cattle commissioners. l don't
think there is anywhere near as much
disease in that section of Maine to-day
as can be found throughout New Hamp-
shire and Vermont. The cattle COM
missioners' report will show that to be
true. Our animals will not only COM
pare favorably with those of other states
but will, | am certain, prove to be in
better condition than they will in Massa-
chusetts generally speaking and infinite
ly much better than those of New Hamp-
shire and Vermont.
"In my opinion the conditions are
good, as you would class them in other
states. But we will acknowledge that
the conditions are not ideal in Maine.
We want to see them improved. The
present dairy inspector, Mr.. Merrill, is
now arranging to use the government
score cards to score all dairies as to
their conditions so far as general cleanli-
ness, condition of animals and methods
of handling milk is concerned. This
will in time help some. We have not
large appropriation to do this work with
and il will take time to improve con-
ditions, but such great work cannot be
accomp mplished in a day. The appropria-
tion for this department is $1,000 year
10, oil of IN
men to do the work and the state of
Maine is pretty large state.
ave characterize the report OF the
Massachusetts board of health as de-
cidediy unfair aud comparatively speak
ing untrue. 1t would be better for them
to pay more attention to the conditions
in their own state where l am sure in
finitely worse conditions can easily be
found than could be found in Maine.
1.-THE department of agriculture
through its dairy instructors is plan
ming a campaign for Improvement of
dairy barns by using the government
score card and making criticisms where
they belong and leaving a copy with the
owner. The department of agriculture
is also planning diagrams for stalls
by which means the animals may be
kept clean without extra labor. Under
the public laws of 1905 which provide
that milk shall not be sold when taken
from cows kept in an unclean or unsani-
tary condition, or milk kept in cans
which are unsanitary, prosecution will
be made.
sThe health of the animals in this
state is shown by the report of the cat
tie commissioners to be superior to that
in any other New England state. The
number of cows having tuberculosis is
not above per cent, which is a remark
ably low percentage. All animals are
condemned and slaughtered when shown
to be diseased by the tuberculin test. v
Turf, Farm and Home.