Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-11-03

one cent a quart. They also get prizes
for the lowest bacterial count and re-
ceive other announcements for super
riority in the quality of their milk.
2. Good dairy methods, the chief Of
which is cleanliness rather than equip
ment, is what the emphasis is laid upon
The essential feature IN producing the
milk consists III cleaning and steriizinS
the pals and pans of the dairy. The pail
has small opening and is covered. and
this one device excludes three-fourths OF
the dirt. The farmers very promptly
learn that it is to their advantage to
wipe the udGers and teats with a damp
cloth before milking as help in keep
ing the bacterial count down.
g. The milk is brought promptly to the
dairy where it is strained and cooled at
once then filed into clean sterile bottles.
These are iced and shipped to the city
in refrigerator cars.
4. An essential feature of DIR. North's
plan is the treating of the farmer fairly
and receiving a square deal from him in
return. While there was skeptcism on
the part of the farmers at first there is
now mutual confidence.
Very encouraging to the average milk
producer are some of the histories of the
accomplishments of the ordinary farmer
with unpromising looking barns and
other equipments. In a Maryland stone
barn two hundred years old and not
showing any facilities for the lighting
and ventilation called for by the stand
ard score card, the milk formerly had
a high bacterial count, but under proper
instruction to the owner of the premises
it was reduced to near 10000. pretty low
as compared with the few millions in the
milk produced and distributed by careless
persons. On the farm in which DIR.
North has an interest, a large barn of
luxurious aspect was built. but a part
of the herd of cows was kept in an old
dilapidated barn which was bought with
the place. The milk which was produced
in the barn with modern facilities shows
an average bacterial count of 1901, while
the milk from the old barn is far below
the standard requirement for certified
milk, namely. 10000 bacteria. That from
the old barn has only 3102 as an average.
Every reassuring, indeed, to us in some
parts Ct Maine where we are talking and
getting bit excited over the milk ques-
tion," says DR.. Young, should be an ex-
pertinent which was carried out under
the suggestion of DR.. North" Ten of the
farmers producing milk for DR.. North In
barns and with other equipments of very
moderate cost were producing milk of
superior excellence. He interviewed
these ten men and asked them to CO.
operate with him in an experiment which
was that each of these men should go to
a barn where the farmer was not sue
ceeding in producing satisfactory milk,
and should there take charge of the
milking and of the dairy operations for
few milkings. These men and the own
ers of the farms to which they were 60
ing agreed to the plan. These ten men
had no instruction in the methods which
they should employ other than that they
should conduct the milking and take care
Of the milk gust as they did on their own
premises. The result was that they pro-
duced milk from these cows and in these
barns which they had never seen before
that showed a bacterial count ranging
from 11,oOo to 23c0O bacteria per cubic
centimeter with the exception of the milk
from one barn in which the farmer per-
sisted in feeding his cows just before the
milking, thus filling the air with dust
winch aoOeO 10 inc Ddcteiidi couHl.
DR.. North is interested in producing
clean decent milk for the masses, rather
than special milk for the classes. and he
claims that there is no necessary relation
between the score of barns and diaries
and the number Of bacteria in the milk
produced in them. 1t is a case of clean
men and clean milk on the one hand
and dirty men and dirty milk on the
other Some of the men producing milk
for Dr. North were delivering it with a
bacterial count often below loco.