Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-08-03

Milk from clean, healthy cows, mixed
BY clean men into clean utensils, may,
nevertheless, easily become contaminat-
ed before 1t reaches the consumer.
There is, therefore, no point at which
the modern dairyman can afford to be
careless.
The milk should be taken at once to
the milkhouse, building which should
be convenient to the barn, but so placed
as to be free from dust and stable odors.
Preferably it should be in well-drained
spot, somewhat higher than the barn
and away from the pig pen, the barn
yard, and all other sources OF contami-
nation. Under certain circumstances il
is permissible to have the milkouse In
the same building as the stables, but in
this case it should be provided with
separate entrance and the partition walls
should not be pierced by any door or
window.
The interior of the milk house should
be divided into two rooms in order that
the utensils may be washed In one and
the milk handled in another. All un-
necessary ledges or rough surfaces
should be avoided in the interior, as
these tend to collect dust and dirt.
Round edges of walls are also conven-
ience in cleaning. The floors should be
of concrete and pitched to drain through
bell traps. For the walls and ceilings,
cement plaster on painted metal lathing
ia best. Thorough ventilation is ne
cessity and ventilators will be found de-
sirable in keeping air fresh and free
from odors. No system of mechanical
ventilation, however, can take the place
of fresh air and sunlight, so that win
dows are of prime importance. In sum-
mer these must be kept screened in or
der to keep out flies and other insects.
A plentiful and convenient supply OF
water Is q necessity. Purity In the
water is the first and most obvious req
uisite. Outbreaks of typhoid fever in
cities have more than once been traced
to d airy farms where the wash water
was impure. The water which comes
from shallow wells that receive surface
drain age or seepage from barnyards or
pastures should never be used. After pur-
ity, the convenience of the water supply
should be considered. If it is not pos
sible to have the gravity system, a sup
ply may be piped from an elevated tank
fed by a hydraulic ram, engine, windmill
or hand pump.
la order to make sure that the utensils
are properly washed, convenient ar
rangements for heating the water must
also be made. The utensils should be
rinsed in cold water Immediately after
being used and then washed thoroughly
in hot water to which soda or some
washing powder has been added.
Brushes are preferable to cloths for
washing, as they are more easily kept
clean and do better work. After wash
ing, the utensils should be rinsed once
more and then sterilized. This can be
done by immersing them in boiling
water for at least two minutes, or by
holding them over steam jet for the
same time. The most effective method,
however, is to put them in hot closet1
thoroughly sterilized with steam. Such
treatment will destroy or render harm
less all the disease-producing bacteria
commonly found in milk. While still
hot the utensils should be removed from
the steam or water and allowed to dry
from their own heat, being kept inverted
in clean place, free from dust, flies,
and other forms of contamination.
If the proper kind of utensils are used,
these precautions will be found much
less troublesome. Wood utensils are
particularly hard to sterilize, and, there |
fore, are not used in the best equipped
dairies. Battered and rusty ware is also
hard to clean, and contact with iron may
ipiure the flavor of milk. Any utensil
with complicated parts, crevices, or in
accessible places should be avoided.
In the milk house the milk should bel
weighed, strained, and cooled at once.
The object of weighing is to enable the
dairyman to know the yield of each COW
in order that he may eliminate from bis
herd the Improbable ones. Coopera-
tive milk-testing associations now do
this work in many cases for farmers
with small herds, but there is no reason
why it cannot be done by the dairyman
himself if it is not convenient for him to |
ioin some association. The straining OF
the milk, which is done in order to re-
move any dirt that may have fallen into
it, is best accomplished by layer of
sterilized absorbent cotton between two
cloths, or else by straining through sew |
eral thicknesses of cheesecloth or similar
material. These cloths should be wash |
ed just as the other utensils are, boiled
for five minutes, and then hung in q
clean place to dry.
To retard the growth of bacteria, milk
must be cooled Immediately to temper
ature of so degrees Fahrenheit, or lower
if possible. Ordinarily this can be done
most satisfactorily by placing the cans
in tank, preferably of concrete, which
contains enough ice and water to come
we'll up to the neck of the can. The
cooling will be hastened if the milk is
frequently stirred with q clean stirrer.
A more rapid method Is to run the milk
over cooler, in the interior of which is
cold running water, but il the air is not
pure the milk will be contaminated in
the process. Warm fresh milk should
never be mixed with milk that has al
ready been cooled, as this tends to undo
the work already done. Milk should be
kept in ice water until 1t is loaded on
the wagon to 60 to the station. During
the journey the can should be protected
from the heat of the sun by jackets or
by blankets which will keep the milk
cool. Bottled milk may be kept cold by
the use of caked ice packed In crates.
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