8

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dust and flies. Use an abundance of scalding water for this final rinsing—this is impor-
tant. After scalding, do not wipe the utensils with a cloth, but let the water be so hot
that they will drain dry when placed upside down on a rack. If available, a jet of steam
under pressure is much better than scalding water for sterilizing the utensils.

If milking machines are used, the tubes and cups should be washed carefully. Milk-
ing machines may contaminate both milk and cream unless all the parts and tubes
through which milk passes are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after each time used.

Clean Cows and Clean Milking—It is necessary to have healthy cows, entirely free
from tuberculosis and other contagious diseases. They must also be free from garget and
similar udder troubles.

The cows should be bedded down and brushed off a sufficient length of time before
milking to allow all dust to settle. Just before milking, the udders and teats should be
wiped with a clean damp cloth. It is advisable to keep the hair on the cow’s flanks
clipped short, so that very little dirt will stick to it.

The milker’s hands should be washed clean before commencing to milk. Sleeves
should be rolled up clear of the wrist while milking. No milk should be used on the
hands while milking; wet milking is a dirty habit. Vaseline may be used on the teats
of “hard milkers” if necessary.

The cows should be treated kindly, and milked quickly, gently and thoroughly; that
is, clean out.

The Small-top Pail—Even with the greatest care there is always the danger of some
dirt, manure or hairs (and consequently bacteria) falling from the cow’s body into the
milk during the process of milking. To help keep this danger at a minimum, the use of
the small-top pail is strongly recommended. A producer really anxious to improve the
quality of his milk should certainly use the small-top pail.

The Barn—The dairy barn should have: Light in abundance, good ventilation, com-
fort; a cement or other watertight floor with proper gutters, and walls and ceiling as
smooth as possible to eliminate the gathering of dust and cobwebs. The barn should be
cleaned out twice a day, but not during nor just before the milking period.

AFTER MILKING

Straining and Cooling—Do not leave milk in the stable or pour milk in the stable,
but remove to a clean room adjoining the barn as soon as it is drawn from the cows. If
it is to be separated, strain and separate immediately and place the cream away to cool
as quickly as possible. If the milk is to be kept whole, it should be set to cool immedi-
ately after straining.

As already stated, there is always the danger of some dirt getting into the milk, even
though the greatest care has been taken to prevent it. As an extra safeguard, therefore,
milk is always strained before being separated or placed away to cool. A wire strainer
is commonly the only kind used for straining milk, but it is not very efficient.

The Dairy Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture made an investigation into
the efficiency of the various kinds of strainers used on 40,000 farms in all parts of the
United States. It was found that on 35 per cent. of the farms, milk was put through a
wire strainer only; cheesecloth, from one to eight thicknesses, was used on 43 per cent.
of the farms; and filter cloth or absorbent cotton on the remaining 22 per cent.

What is the most efficient kind of strainer or straining material? Figure 2 shows
graphically the quantities of sediment in milk after straining through various materials.
It illustrates the results obtained in scoring several thousand milk samples.

Wire Milk Strainer .
Cheese Coth (1 thickness)...... errr.
Cheese Cloth (2 to 8 thicknesses)
Filter Cloth or Cotton

Fig. 2—Quantity of sediment in milk after straining through various materials

The above figure shows conclusively that filter cloth or absorbent cotton filters are
the most efficient for straining dirt out of milk.

When nearly all the visible sediment of dirt is removed from milk by efficient strain-
ing, the appearance of the milk is improved, and though only the bacteria adhering to
the particles of dirt are caught by the strainer, the results will be worth while, and it is
just as easy to pour milk through a cotton filter as through a wire strainer.

Having produced clean milk, it is important to cool it as quickly as possible to a
temperature of 50 deg. Fahr. or lower, in order to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria
and souring of the milk.

No expensive equipment is needed for the cooling of milk or cream. A simple cool-
ing system is described and illustrated in Farm News Sheet No. 8B, “The Care and
Handling of Cream.”

The information contained in this bulletin is received from reliable sources, but the
Company does not assume responsibility and will not be liable for any damage which any
person may sustain in carrying out or in attempting to carry out the suggestions.