The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-07-02
Home Care Of Milk.

With the advent of warm weather
the care of milk in the home becomes
more complex than during the late
autumn and winter. Heat to the ex
tent accumulated by allowing milk to
stand on warm porch or in the sun is
enough to start the bacteria in milk to
multiplying at rapid rate and thus
make it unfit for use as sweet milk,
according to the dairy specialists of the
department. The hot days also bring
| the flies, the great germ carriers, and
the clouds of dust laden with bacteria,
which. when coming to rest on milk
receptacles, may easily contaminate
the milk.
Milk is regarded as a natural cul-
ture medium for bacteria, and the
rapidity with which the various forms
will multiply under the proper tempera-
lures is astonishing. 1t has been
shown that if cubic centimeter (about
onehalf teaspoonfuD of milk containing
10 bacteria is kept at 6S degree tempe
nature for "a hours the bacteria will
have multiplied into about $1,000. In
the same milk, if held at SO degree,
the growth of bacteria would be very
small, possibly as low as 40 in "a hours.
Milk which contains a large number of
bacteria is either not fresh or has
come from diseased COW or has other
wise been contaminated.
Flies are possibly the most danger
GUS bacteria carriers which are likely
to come in contact with milk. These
scavengers may convey the germs of
typhoid fever or other contagious
diseases from the sick room or excreta
to the milk. Typhoid epidemics have
been caused by flies spreading the
germs. Milk should be guarded from
flies as vigorously as you would avoid
exposure to disease.
Cows are now out on pasture, and
milk is more easily produced under
sanitary conditions than during the
winter months when the cows are
stabbed continuously. Milk may be
handled by the most correct and sani-
tary methods known, and yet if it is
not cooled Immediately after milking
and kept cool until consumed, it very
soon begins to change and grow sour.
In fact, the bacterial content increases
rapidly as long as the milk remains
above SO degree F. The bacteria are
dormant or increase slowly at lower
temperature. For this reason. eAery
precaution for keeping milk cold from
the time it is produced until it reaches
the consumer is essential, and es-
pecially so during the warm weather.
Milk may absorb impurities when
ever it is exposed to the air or placed
in unclean vessels. The amount or
degree of contamination depends on
the cleanliness of the air and of the
utensil. Even the air of so-called
clean room contains some impurities.
If the producer and dealer have done
their duty, there is left at the con-
sumer's door a bottle of clean, cold
unadulterated milk But the consumer,
also has responsibilities in handling
milk so that it continues to be fit for
consumption, especially as food for
babies. The milk in the home may be
placed in unclean vessels, or exposed
unnecessarily to the air, or not kept
cool until the time of using. Thus
things may happen to the milk affect
ing its quality, many of which occur
through carelessness.
The expression, "a bottle of clean,
cold, unadulterated milk" describes
the kind of milk which should be de-
livered to the home. The method of
dipping milk from large cans and pour
ing it into the customers receptacle in
the street, with all the incident expo
sure to the air, not always the cleanest,
is bad practice Drawing milk from
the faucet of retailers can is almost
as bad dipping milk, although the
milk is not exposed to the air as long
as by the dipping process. Besides the
insanitary part of this method, some
consumers. unless the milk is kept we'll
agitated. are likely to receive less than
their proportion of cream. The custom
of setting out at night an uncovered
vessel which collects thousands of
bacteria from the street dust before
the milk is put into it is obviously very
insanitary, and yet it is practiced to a
large extent If milk is to be received
in bowl or pail by the consumer, it is
worth while to have it delivered per-
sonally to some member of the family
or if the receptacle is to be. placed in
waiting for the milk deliverer, it should
be covered with plate, or better still,
glass preserving jar may be used in
which nothing but milk is put. The
jars with the glass tops are preferable;
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