Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-06-10
Dairy Improvement.


souring of milk and cream 10 regarded
by many as the first indication OF I'm
purity, but both milk and cream under
60 decomposition and may be dangerous
to health long before souring occurs
Especially is this true of pasteurized
milk and cream not properly covered
and kept cool. For this reason an ex
ceptionally high standard of cleanliness
must be observed In milk production
Usually unsanitary and slack conditions
are indicated by the quality of the prod
uct produced in any business and es
pecially 30 in the dairy business be-
dicator of all that happens to it..
Improvement should be the slogan OF
all dairymen. This, of course, may cost
money but If resulting high quality OF
milk or cream can be produced it is sure
to be profitable in the end. Dairying
under the old regime does not allow the
best milk to be produced. Practical
studies along sanitary lines have proven
that some improvement can be made
without any great expense and that the
quality of the product 10 consequently
improved.
Grooming the cows has been found to
be very effective in lowering the bacter-
ial content of milk, provided such groom
ing does not take place too near milking
time.
Brushing the udder just before milk.
ing increases the bacterial content OF
the milk.
Wiping the udder with moist cloth
before milking lowers the bacterial con-
tent.
Feeding dusty feed before milking in
creases the bacterial content of the
stable air and consequently the bacte-
rial content of the milk.
Manure should be removed before
milking, and If it is dusty, at least an
hour before beginning to milk.
The milk should not be allowed to
stand exposed to the air of the stables
after milking. 1t should be removed to
clean room and Immediately cooled to
so degrees F. and kept cool until used.
All milk pals, cans, bottles aud other
containers should be thoroughly washed,
rinsed and then sterilzed. They should
remain inverted to drain until ready to
be filled.
Strainipg of milk that is MIXED into
an open pail and contains dirt particles
and hairs, through many thicknesses of
cheese cloth, will not remove all Of the
dirt Bacteria usually 60 along with
dirt and once dirt Is in milk 1t matters
little whether 1t is strained out or not as
II is impossible to strain out the bacteria.
A remedy for so many reports OF
slightly dirty milk secured from milk
dealers would seem to be, not that sever
al more thicknesses of cheese cloth be
used, but that an effort be made to keep
the dirt out at the beginning. A sane
and thoroughly practical way to do this
would be to introduce some form of a
covered or hooded pail which lessons the
space for dirt, dust and hair to fall into
the milk.
Another remedy has been resorted to
BY many dairymen who have no control
Of the cleanliness of milk that they buy.
Absorbent cotton has been found to re-
move more sediment than the many
thickuesses of cheese cloth and is being
resorted to in an effort to get cleaner
milk regardless of the bacterial content.
This latter remedy may suffice for
time but it alone will hardly lower the
bacterial count of milk.
The highest quality and best keeping
milk must be free from sediment from
the start and the only way this can be
secured is by cleanliness at the time of
milking, allowing no dirt or hairs to en-
ter the milk by using narrow mouthed
or covered pail and then removing the
milk to clear atmosphere, cooling 1t at
once and quickly to 30 degrees F. or be-
low and keeping 1t that cold until 1t is
used.
The producer of sanitary milk and
cream must develop the habit of looking
for dirt. BY keeping dirt out Of cream
and milk, be will keep out the many bac.
terra and retard souring.
Bacteria are conveyed from place to
place on dirt and dust,-they cannot fly.
No dirt, no bacteria. Sunshine is ma
ture's best disinfectant; 1t kills bacteria
and is very cheap. Why more dairymen
do not take more advantage of this eco-
nomical asset is not to be understood ex-
cept by their ignorance Of the fact.
The dairyman who sells cream which
has passed through dirty separator
commits an insidious and criminal act
against the nation. The plea Of many
dsirymen Is that the price they now re-
ceive will not allow them to give more
care to their product. This would seem
to be just plea If the extra cost Of pro-
ducing clean milk requires more time
and care than Is given at present without
the clean product. But 1t must not re-
main this way for long. The health of
our communities will demand that the
milk supply be as pure as the water sup
ply which nowIreceives more attention.
The financial success of the dairy
farmer is absolutely necessary II the milk
industry is to be continued. All conver-
SAINT with the present condition Of dairy
farmers in general, must admit that the
prices now paid for milk are not suffi.
cient to give dairy farmers sound fnan-
cial footing. Milkmen can be found
everywhere who sell milk just as it
comes from the COWS for from 9 to g
cents quart, regardless Of the per cent
of butter fat or Its cleanliness.
The average consumer will very often
select the milk containing the most
cream without any regard AZ to whether
It is clean or not. There 10 hardly much
hope for dairymen to succeed when the
general public will not pay for the more
sanitary milk and for the cream content.
There Is no excuse for failure to make
financial gains when q milk testing high
in butter fat is sold for the same price as
q lower testing milk.
The purchase Of milk on . butter fat
basis as we'll as its bacterial content is
the fairest method of buy ing and selling.
The price of milk to the producer, the
distributor and the consumer should be
determined by Its cream or butter-fat
solid contents and its purity. Milkmen
Advertising pure milk AID not knowing
Its bacterial content are laboring under
some delusion. Purity of milk IL deter
mined by the number and kind Of bao-
terra actually In the milk.
The milkman who knows just what he
is producing and who delivers . grade
OF milk In accordance with the price the
consumer is willing to pay is to be the
successful dairyman.
The public must eventually heed the
teaching of sanitarians and get pro-
tection by purchasing safe milk from
producers and dealers who make known
tho freedom Of an excessive number Of
any bacteria and of all disease producing
germs from their milk.-Bulletin Maine
Dept. Of Agriculture
:. The moro nervous the COW, the greater
her capacity. and the more need for
gentle handling.