Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-27
WHOLESOME MILK
DEPARTMENT. Sam
Trend of Agricultural Officials
Work for Clean Service
Purely Educational.
STATEMENT Is ISSUED
ON BACTERIAL COUNTS
Declares It Has Established No
Standards for Contents and Has
No Specific Rule to Enforce.

The Department of Agriculture. III
statement made public yesterday. declares
that it has established no standards for
the meteorological contents of milk, and
asserts that the work being done by the
department among the dairymen of the
United States is educational in character,
rather than mandatory. The statement
contains the declaration that "a simple
count of the bacteria in milk is not in
itself sufficient to determine absolutely
its safety" and the statement further
declares that the department does not
intend to establish any rule stating that
milk containing fewer than certain
number of bacteria per cubic centimeter
is good and fit for human consumption
The whole trend of the department
work. according to the statement, Is to
educate dairymen to point where they
will strive only to produce and ship
clean, wholesome milk. The statement
in fun. is as follows:
1T is enormously supposed that 'the
Department of Agriculture has estab-
llshed absolute standards and bacterial
counts to which all milk coming under
its jurisdiction in interstate commerce
must comply. The department has es-
tainly has not and will not establish any
rule declaring that milk containing less
than a certain number of bacteria per
cubic centimeter is good milk. Under
such a standard, milk containing less
than certain number of typhoid or
tubercle bacilli would automatically be
passed, as coming up to standard.
A simple count of the bacteria is not
in itself sufficient to determine absolutely
its safety. The nature Of the bacteria as
well as their number also must. IL pos
sible be- considered. The presence OF
only a few disease producing bacteria
might make the milk dangerous. while
several thousand harmless bacteria could
be present without necessarily indicat-
ing that the milk was unsafe.
"A high count of the kinds of bacteria
that normally are present in milk fndi-
Gates that the milk is dirty. or that II
or that it is old.
Work of Dairy Division.
THE department in its milk activities
is carrying on an extensive campaign o.
education to help dairymen produce and
market good clean milk. This work Is
carried on principally by the dairy di-
vision of the bureau of animal industry
This division exercises no policing func-
ton. 1t has no. power under the law 10
sieze milk or to prosecute milk dealers
Its work is purely educational ms ai-
vision issues many educational bulletins
based upon it's experiments in the eco
nomical production of clean milk. III sup
plies farmers with these bulletins anc
also sends men into the field to snow
milk producers how to make changes
within their means which will raise the
quality of their milk and also increase
their profits. These demonstrators nave
helped milk producers who supply over
$40 cities In each city these demonstra-
tors co-operated with the local health
authorities. not To help them secure evil
dcnce or bring prosecutions. but 10 I'M
prove the local system OF inspection,
whereby the inspectors can aid the milk
producers of the territory to bring thei:
milk UP tn the city's own standard with
out being called upon to make excessive
,ypenditures.
.'With the inspectors, the demonstrators
visit the dairy farms as friends of the
farmer They may show him that GER
tain cows in his herd do not yield enough
milk 70 pay for their feed Or the demon
strators may point out certain chanses
in feeding which will greatly increase the
yield. They help the farmer build an in
expensive milk house. and show him no"
a window or two or Waterproof moor
for his barn, or a little whitewash OF
more frequent cleaning VIII actually in
crease his profits. Where desired. they
explain methods Of pasteurizaton and
shipping and handling OF milk.
Tuberculin for Testing Herds.
Through this bureau the Department,
supplies tuberculin for testing herds.
These demonstrators have no power to
compel the farmer to follow their advice
they merely try to show him that these
measures are for his own good. They
do not and connot require the farmer to
pasteurize his milk. Where they find a
herd that Is not tested for tuberculosis, or
milk being produced In an unclean way,
they advise that the milk be pasteurized,
using any one OF a number of competing
machines. or homemade pasteurizer.
As result of this work, thousands of
farmers have introduced new and sani-
tary methods of producing and shipping
milk. not because they were forced to do
so. but because they saw the justice of
protecting their consumers and found
that they lost less milk and made greater
profits BY following the specialists ad-
vice.
The dairy division advises the pasteur-
ization Of milk unknown or of doubtful
purity. because in large measure Ii pro-
tects the consumer from dangers that
might be incurred by using such milk in
the raw state. Pasteurization is not
recommended as a substitute for sanitary
precautions, but an additional safe
guard where the inspection is not suffi-
Gent to guarantee the purity OF the milk
Inc dairy division also Is conducting an
extensive campaign among consumers.
80 eHN hA St PidNt. IL - tTsitIS 10 COUNinSe
them that II costs more to produce clean
wholesome milk than to produce dirty
and dangerous milk. In the second place,
" aims to show the householder how to
Keep milk after il has been delivered by
the milkman. Clean milk IL allowed to
become warm, If kept in unclean vessels
or II exposed To the dust of rooms or left
within reach of flies. quickly deteriorates
and may become dangerous
Source of Departments Power.
Whatever power the department has
to compel milk dealers 10 produce safe,
clean milk comes to il from the food
and drugs act. Under this act, the de-
partment has power to request the De-
partment of Justice to order prosecutions
~ seizures only in the case of milk that
enters interstate commerce. In this work
the department does not set up stand
ards, but accepts the standards Of the
city into which the milk is being shipped
across state lines. The bureau of chem
istry, which has only limited number
% inspectors does most of its work by
cooperating with local authorities in the
case of milk produced across q state line
Where milk Is found to be aduiterated