The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-04-15
Dairy and Dairy Cows.

iHe great question OF the uulrylnS
world today is how to get milk to
the place of sumption-whethe
creamery, cheese factory or the home
of the consumer-in the same condi-
ton in which it leaves the COW or as
nearly thereto as human ingenuity
can devise. The board of health OF
New York City has declared that
'there is but very small per cent Of
milk received in that city that is
really fit for human food without pas
teurizing, and some of it is so laden
with manure and other dirt that even
pasteurizing will not make it fit
Every board of health in the land
will say about the same thing. Ev-
cry creamery buttermaker and every
cheesemaker will tell the same story
about dirty and manure laden milk
They find it every morning when
they come to empty the cans. They
know, and every man with thimble-
full of brains knows, that it is this
widespread practice of dirtiness am.
ong farmers that is to blame for this
condition of things"
Upon that Hoard's Dairyman pro-
ceeds as follows:
1.-The milk as it leaves the cows
udder is clean from manure. But her
sides are plastered with manure put
there in effect by the owner. He has
no sense Of cleanliness. If he had
he would not keep cows in that con-
dition. No man that is clean in his
ideas will keep a dirty stable. The
trouble lies back in the mind of the
farmer. He sticks to the old, nasty,
stanchion method OF tying cows. lie
will not provide bedding enough.
Cows will not lie down in wet. filthy
places If they can have the liberty
to choose dry, clean place. The
fact is, that this movement to have
pure, clean milk has run up against
great mass of dirty, filthy farm
ers who have not the first ideas OF
cleanliness in their minds to start
with. How is man going to have
clean cows and stables when he does
not understand what cleanliness
means? Then there is another por-
tion who know better, but they don't
care. If they can get rid of their
dirty milk at the creamery or cheese
factory or milk station without being
detected that is all they care about.
Such men are dishonest. There ID
only one way to take hold of these
two classes of men and make them
produce clean milk, and that is by the
strong arm of the law. They have
no sense of cleanliness, no pride Of
standing among men, no sentiment
of regard for the consumer that will
make them do the clean thing. A
visit to their stables will give any
man an idea of what class they be-
long In.
what is needed is a higher stan
dard of neatness. a better knowledge
of what sanitation is, and the laws
of health. among farmers in gener-
al. A campaign Of education should
be had from all the forces of agricul-
ture on this question. A sense Of
shame against dirty cows, dirty sta
bles should be cultivated among far
mers everywhere. We are the food
producers OF the world and we ought
to have high standard of quality
in our minds. 1t Is the merest non
sense for any man to say that he
cannot afford to have clean cows. II
he is too ignorant to know this then
he should be taught the truth either
by strong public sentiment among
the farmers about him or through
the law. 1t is high time every farm