The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1915-02-26

ment OF Agriculture)
| Clean milk Is defined by the United
States department of agriculture a,
milk from healthy cows-that Is fre,
from dirt and contains only a small
number of bacteria, none of which /,
OF the disease producing nature. It |.
the duty OF the producer, as we'll as t.
his advantage, to furnish such milk. II
ls the duty of the consumer to under
stand that clean, safe milk costs more
to produce than dirty milk and that he
should therefore be willing to pay
more for it.
All milk contains some bacteria II
however, when the milk reaches the
consumer 1t is found to contain large
numbers of bacteria it is evident that
1t Is not fresh or that 1t has come from
q diseased COW or has been handled
under insanitary conditions, or has
not been kept sufficiently cool during
transit. Milk of this character may
nave the flavor and appearance of the
clean product. and be at the same time
extremely dangerous. Even where the
germs of such a specific disease as
typhoid fever are not present, dirty
milk may result in digestive disturb
ances that are especially dangerous to
children and persons In weak health.
To produce clean milk the first es-
sential is healthy herd. Cows should
be tested for tuberculosis at least once
year, and il diseased animals are
w A ia
should be removed at once from the
herd and the stable and premises thor
oughly disinfected. When new animals
are purchased for the herd they should
be tested for tuberculosis before being
brought to the farm, and even then It
Is better to keep them separate from
the other animals for at least sixty
days, at the expiration of which period
they should be retested These precau-
tons are not only necessary to insure
the consumer from infected milk. but
to protect the cattle owner from the
serious losses that follow the spread
of tuberculosis throughout the herd.
Even when the herd is in perfect
health the milk is frequently contain
mated on account of the external con-
dition of the animal. 1t is therefore
essential that the COW be kept free
from accumulations of mud and ma
nure. Custom demands that a horse
be properly groomed, but from a sani-
tary standpoint it is far more essential
that COW should be. Mich COWS on
pasture should be brushed before each
milking period When kept in the
stable they require a thorough clean
Ing at least once a day. This should
not be done, however, Immediately be-
fore milking. as it frequently results
In Milling the stable air with dust and
bacteria. 1t is also desirable to clip
the long hair from the udder. TANKS
and tail, as these are very likely to
become dirty,
The bedding should be clean and dry
and sufficient in quantity to make the
COW comfortable, especially on a con-
crete floor. The distribution of bed |
ding, however, is fully as important
as the quantity. 1t will frequently be |
found that few minutes attention to |
this the last thing at night will save a |
amount of time cleaning |
the cows in the morning. The manure !
should be removed each day to con-
siderable distance from the stable. |
This not only keeps bad odors from |
tainting the milk, but viii diminish the |
LANCER of contamination by flies. |
which breed in accumulations of ma
nure. No animals except cows should
10 allowed in the stable.
The character of the milk is also
Affected by the feed. Obviously, moIdy |
md decayed feed should be carefully |
avoided. In addition. however. the
iairyman must remember that foods,
such as rape, cabbage and turnips.
which have strong odors, may impart
iisagreeable fiavors and odors to the
milk. They can, however, be used
With comparative safety if care is used
% feed only after milking. This is
llso true of the wild onion pest. and
where pastures are overrun with il il
8 advisable to remove the cows sew
'ral hours before milking.
Good silage is now considered a sat
food. 1t was formerly
bought that it affected unfavorably
he flavor of milk. but there is no rea-
oD why this should be the case if the
eed is of coed character and given
n reasonable amounts after milking.
III uneaten silage should be removed
order that the odoI may disappear
rom the stable before the next milk
ng time. From a sanitary standpoint
is always best to feed after milking.