MILK PRODUCTION. In a. well-conducted dairy farm the following conditions should he enforced: The stable or cow house should lie roomy, clean. dry, light, and well ventilated, for only under such conditions eon eows be kept in the best of health. The animals them selves should be clean and healthy, and should be well fed and contented. There should he an abundance of pure water, to the cows should have access at least twice a dam•. The food should be of good quality, and the grain and coarse fodder should be free from dirt and decay, and not in a musty condition. All utensils which come in emitact with milk should be thor oughly washed and sterilized or scalded after using. After the milk has been drawn from the cow it should he taken to a milk room which is free from all stable and other odors, poured through a fine strainer, and run over a cooling aitrator (q.v.), to free it of animal and stable odors and cool it miekly. The milk is next transferred to the shipping can and set in cold water. or 1.0111141 and stored in a cold place until needed. During transportation from the farm to the town or city the milk should lie kept as Nail as possible. Refrigerator ears are provided by sonic railroads for that purpose. Much of the milk that is brought to large cities by rail is from to 36 hours old before it reaches the consumer. This makes it necessary to exercise every precaution in its handling, in order to pre vent spoiling, and cooling immediately after milking is an important facto• in this connec tion.
Not only has the demand for clean, pure milk led to an increased demand, but it has led to the enactment of more rigid restrictions and closer supervision of dairies. and by the production at some dairies of so-called sanitary milk. Such milk is produced under the most sanitary and hygienic conditions as regards the food and care of the animals, the stables, the milking, and the care and handling of the milk. The herds in these dairies are inspected often to determine their freedom from disease, and not infrequently the milk is 'certified' or guaranteed to contain a cer tain fixed percentage of fat, as 5 per cent., this
being maintained the year round by the addition of erealn when necessary. Such sanitary or certi fied milk is usually sold at an advanced price, as the cost of its production is greater than that of ordinary market milk. The so-called modified milk is a prepared product used principally for infant feeding, and usually made according to a physician's prescription. Many physicians pre a milk with a definite composition, usually resembling mother's milk as closely as possible, but varying according, to the apparent needs of the individual. Such prescription milk is gen erally prepared froin cows' milk by reducing the amount of fat, but more particularly that of proteids, and increasing the proportion of sugar. Lime water is frequently added to reduce the avidity, and at times preparations made from cereals are added.
For the preservation of milk pasteurization is now extensively practiced. Pasteurization con sists in beating the milk in closed vessels at from to C. 10 F.) for about half an hour. and then cooling it as quickly as possible by cold water or ice. By this means most of the organisms contained in it are killed, and the milk will keep ranch longer than when it has not been so treated. Continuous pasteurizers are used in many and large dairies. and there are a of vnall pastenrizers for family use. Where there is any doubt as to the purity of the milk it is muclr safer to pasteurize that used for children at home. To a certain extent, how ever. pasteurization may be used to cover up the effects of careless methods, and many people prefer the sanitary milk. In sterilizing milk the liquid is heated to boiling; but this changes the character of the milk, making it less suitable for drinking, and giving it a cooked taste. l'as teurization is suffieient for household purposes.