FORTY RULES FOR THE CARE OF MILK.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 512, 26 October 1912, Page 3

FORTY RULES FOR THE CARE OF MILK.

American Department of Agriculture has iasued a large cardboard for posting in cow sheds and dairies, printed with the forty following rules, which briefly summarise the subject of the care of milk on the farm : 1. Read current dairy literature, and keep posted on new ideas.

2. Observe and enfoco the utmost cleenliness about the cattle, their attendants, the shed, the dairy, and all utensils.

3. Any persons suffering from any disease, must remain away from the cows and milk.

4. Cowsheds should be well ventilated, lighted and drained; should have light floors and walls, and be plainly constructed. 5. Use no dry, dusty feed just previous to milking; if fodder is dusty, sprinkle it before it is fed. 6. Keep the cowshed and dairy room in good condition, and then insist that the dairy, factory, or place where the milk goes, be kept equally well.

THE COWS. 7. Have the herd examined at least twice a year by a skilful veterinarian. 8. Promptly remove from the herd any animal suspected of being in bad healh, and reject her milk. Never add an animal to the herd until certain it is free from disease, especially tuberculosis. „ 9. Do not move the cows faster than a comfortable walk while on the way to the place of milking or feeding. 10. Never allow the cows to be excited by hard driving, abuse, loud talking, or unnecessary disturbance; do not expose them to cold or storms. 11. Do not change the feed suddenly. 12. Feed liberally, and use only fresh, palatable food stuffs; in no case should decomposed or mouldy material be used. 13. Provide water in abundance, easy of access, and always pure. 14. Salt should always be accessible. 15. Do not allow any strong flavoured food, like silage, turnips, and cabbage, to be °aten, except immediately after milking. 16. Clean the entire body of the cow daily. If hair in the region of the udder is not easily kept clean, it should be clipped. 17. Do not use milk within twenty days before calving, nor from three to five days afterwards. CARE OF MILK. 18. The milser should be clean in all respects; he should not use tobacco; he should wash and dry his hands just before milking. 19. The milker should wear a clean outer garment, use only when milking, and keep in a clean place at other times. 20. Brush the udder and surrounding "parts just before milking, and wipe them with a clean, damp cloth or sponge. 21. Milk quietly, quickly, cleanly, and thoroughly. Cows do not like unnecessary noise or delay. Commence milking exactly the same hour every morning and evening, and milk the cows in the same order. 22. Throw away (but not on the floor —better the gutter) he first few streams from each teat; this milk is very watery, and of little value, but it may injure the rest. 23. If in any milking a part of the milk is bloody or stringy, or unnatural in appearance, the whole mass should be rejected. 24. Milk with dry hands; never allow the hands to come in contact with the milk.

25. Do not allow doga, cats, or loafera to be around at milking time. 26. If any accident occurs by which a pail full, or partly full, of milk becomes dirty, do not try to remedy this by straining, but reject all this milk and rinse the pail. 27. Weigh and record the milk given by each cow, and take a sample morning and night, at least once a week, for testing by the fat test. 28. milk the cow-

shed to a clean, dry room, whore the air is pure and sweet. Do not allow cans to remain in the cowshed while they are being filled. 29. Strain the milk through a metal gauze and a flannel cloth or layer of cotton as soon as it is drawn. 30. Never close a can containing warm milk which has not been aerated. 31. If the cover is left off the can, a piece of cloth or mosquito netting should be used to keep out insects. 32. Never mix fresh warm milk with that which has been cooled. 33. Under no circumstances should anything be added to milk to prevent it souring. Cleanliness and coid are the only preventives needed. 84. When cans are hauled far, they should be full, and carried in a spring waggon.

35. In hot weather cover the cans, when moved in a waggon, with a clean, wet blanket or canvas.

36. Milk utensils for farm use should be made of metal, and have all joints smoothly soldered. Never allow them to beomce rusty or rough inside. 37. Do not haul waste products back to the farm in the same cans used for delivering milk. When this is unavoidable, insist that the skim milk or whey can be kept clean.

38. Cans used for the return of skim milk or whey should be emptied and cleansed as soon as they arrive at the farm.

39. Clean all dairy utensils by first thoroughly rinsing them in warm water; then cleanse inside and out with a brush and hot water, in which a cleansing material is dissolved; then rinse, and lastly sterilise by boiling water or steam. Use pure water only. 40. After cleansing, keep inverted, in pure air, and in as much sunlight as possible, until wanted for use.