CLEAN MILK FROM A FARMER'S POINT OF VIEW
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The letter from Sir W. Arbuthnot Lane in one of your recent issues on "A Cleaner Milk Supply," deals with a sub- ject of such importance that it might interest your readers to hear from another point of view on the same subject. I farmed in America for about twelve years, and my principal product was milk of a guaranteed cleanliness.
Dr. Arbuthnot Lane lays great stress upon the possibilities of a paper container, but in spite of my familiarity with the dangers and difficulties of the glass bottle, I cannot believe that the paper container could replace it. Even if it could be made cheap enough and strong enough, the opaque material would be a disadvantage. The purchaser likes to see his milk, and to see how much cream there is on the top of it. More- over, the cleaning of the bottles is only part of the problem.
There are three main rules that must be followed to produce milk with a low bacterial content at a moderate cost. First : all pails, cans, and appliances that come in contact with the milk should be thoroughly scrubbed and washed in hot water immediately after using, and all bottles, should be sterilized daily, with boiling water or scalding steam. There are various appliances for doing this on the market, and home-made apparatus ii.not.difficUk for the farmer to construct himself. Second : the Milk must be properly and thoroughly cooled almost immediately- on-being -drawn from the cow. No Milk is free from bacteria, and if it is left at the temperatUreat which it came from the cow for even a few hours the bacterial content will be simply enormous. Chill the milk at once down to 50° or 641° Fahrenheit and this bacterial increase proceeds very slowly indeed. It is not enough to stand the cans in water. The milk must be run over a cooler, or in some way be made really cold quickly. Again, Milk coolers are on the market and easily procured. Third : milk cannot be stored for any length of time. It should reach the consumer as soap as possible after milking. .
Finally, the public must be taught the importance and value of a pure milk supply. I doubt very much if this is thoroughly realized. When it is, people will be willing to pay a little higher price to get milk that is free from disease germs. They must pay a higher price. It is not hard to make Clean milk, but it requires some simple appliances and unremitting vigilance, and these things cannot be had for nothing.—!
Previous page
