Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-12-08

Bulk milk or Olp mix In stores Is un
safe. 1t is usually the poorest quality
and the chances for contamination of th'
milk measure and of the milk are great
Only sealed cold milk should be secured
and this from reliable source.
Never take milk from milkman who
does not thoroughly wash and sIeriliz,
all Of his bottles before filling them
with milk, or who uses them for any
other purpose than for milk.
The advantages of the Individual
bottle are many, as tue chances of con
tamination from an uuclean receptacle
or from house where disease prevails,
are eliminated if the same bottles are
received from day to day.
In many ways a parchment or fibre
IcOntaiuer that can be destroyed after be-
ing once used has been found advan
tagpous. Especially is this true when
milk has to be left at a house where a
contagious disease exists. A new, clean
bottle, used once and destroyed, is sure
ly better aud more sanitary than re-
filed bottle that has possibly been mis-
used and not properly cleaned. Some OF
the most improved fibre containers save
sixty percent of space when compared
with glass bottles. They weigh ninety
four percent less, they do not have to be
returned to the DAIRY and they do not
have to be washed, thus causing saw
ing. There is likewise, no loss from
brcakage or from filthy bottles that re-
quire extra time for cleaning.
The presence OF DIRT or sedimen, in
milk is common and is due to the fact
that precaution against the entrance of
this foreign matter il not taken at the
proper time. Nearly every milk produc'
| pr is content with the timeworn practice
of allowing the milk to be drawn into u
wide open pail, then straining tue milk
to remove the dirt. To an ignorant per-
son the fact Is plain that some OF the dirt
| remains in solution and is therefore not
strained out.
But there are many who will say and
who have declared that so long az no at
tention was given to these points when
they were young, they see no reason
why any change should be made. They
say that people lived just as long then az
they do now. This may be true, but
when we know that the percentage OF
death rate of infants has been materially
diminished because of present sanitary
methods, the argument against the past
customs becomes convincing.
All cows milk bought upon the mar
ket contains some bacteria. Dirty milk
spoils more quickly than clean milk be-
cause it is laden with bacteria and may
therefore be harmful, especially to the
tender infant. Usually milk contains a
vast mum mber-millions to every teaspoon
ful-and often they are innumerable.
They are not necessarily harmful aud
mere numbers need not frighten. 1t is
the kind of bacteria rather than the
mum Der that concerns US, for many of
the bacteria in milk are beneficial are
our friends and not our enemies.
Great numbers Of harmful bacteria are
undesirable aud unnecessary, as they IN.
dictate that the milk is dirty or stale or
has not been kept cold. The number of
such bacteria, then, is u general index
of the sanitary quality of milk. A few
of these bacteria may be in the milk az
it comes from the udder, but for the
most part they fall from the cow into
the milking pail during milking, at
tached TO particles of straw, dust, hair
or dried refuse matter.
They grow and multiply in the warm
milk al rapid rate; it is perfect food
for them, and ii allowed tu multiply
without check, in "a hours each single
germ may have developed into billion
descendants aud thus make the milk un-
! lit for use.
Some of tho bacteria cause the milk to
sour, some of them cause il TO decom-
pose. Fermentation and putrefaction
are two classes of decomposition, caused
by diff. rent kinds of bacteria. All of
these may be present in milk; We know
not which predominate until the result
of their presence is indicated. The dan
gers in milk cannot be seen with the un.
aided eye.
1t requires only Intelligence and care
to keep milk clean and devoid of large
mum bers of bacteria. With care, clean
illness and the use of ice, a satisfactory
grade of milk may be sent to the co.,
sumer by the producer. Good dairy
methods have far better results on the
quality of milk than fancy, costly barns,
expensive equipment aud high-bred
cattle.
The essential points in the production
of clean milk are:
Clean and healthy cows.
Clean aud healthy mixers.
Clean aud we'll ventilated stable.
Milk pals sterilized by scaldiDg.
Sterilized cans and bottles.
Clean hands always.
Cooling and keeping cold and sealed.
Dirty milk is found on the market be-
cause milk does not get the care and at
ktention II deserves Un most farms; es-
pecially IL this true on small farms
here producing milk is entirely side
issue.
Cows milk as n food for babies is at
best poor substitute for mothers milk.
lt is not always safe to raise the baby
on cows milk, for statistics show that
ten bottle. fed babies die to one breast
fed baby.
Bottle feeding requires skilled train
ing TO carry ii out safely; 1t requires
sk i'll aud practice to modify the milk to
suit the baby; it requires much moro
time and trouble because of the ster'li-
zation of the equipment and at best is
only poor substitute, for no matter
how cows milk may be modified and
prepared, it cannot take the place OF
mothers milk.
Ifcow's milk must DO fed, then the best
milk obtainable should be selected and
this is not necessarily the milk with the
best appearance, aud under no condition
should 1t be milk from can i, a Groce-
~ store. 1t is poor economy to give
baby cheap milk, for cheap milk is usu-
ally the poorer milk.
Milk from cows that can be visited AMI
seen ofteu by the consumer should be
secured if possible. Warm milk fresh
from the COW may no fed, but unless the
milk is cooled aud kept cool it will not
be fit for a subsequent feeding 1t is
dangerous to feed milk that has been
kept warm or tepid for over half an
hour, therefore it should never he kept
warm in thermos bottle. Never warm
the milk until feeding time.
Milk dispensaries, stations, or infant
depots are a God-send TO dependeu
mothers and should be frequenre'l when
ever in doubt IA to the amount and kind
of milk to feed. 1t Is poor policy to
feed or raise child according TO the ad
vice of uniformed people or without
good milk properly prepared as sub
stitute for natures milk.
Pasteurizcd milk is milk that has
been heated 10 kill the germs of bac
terra. The object OF this process Is TO