VOL.LXIX
INDIANAPOLIS, MAR. 21, 1914
NO. 12
Producing Right Kind of Milk for Market
Of all branches of the dairy business,
the production of a high grade article
of market milk Is the most exacting.
Volumes have been written about the
production of certified milk; but the
Increased cost of production places the
price where the large mass of consumers find it a luxury. It will be my
purpose to discuss the subject from
the standpoint of the dairymen who
are producing a wholesome article at
from  14 to 16 cents a gallon.
Certified   milk   has  its   place   and   is
How to Handle the Herd and the Dairy Products
for Best Results.—L. J. Meredith
succeed     in     producing  a  clean,     and
wholesome  article.
The Health of Uie Herd.
The cows that are producing milk
must be healthy and have healthy surroundings and healthy attendants.
They should have plenty of pure water
of trains, distance to deliver and the
size of the herd. They must be given
food that will make large amounts of
milk and promote the health and vigor
of the cows.
A Critical Time in Handling Milk.
Of   all   the   care   that   ls   given   the
so that the water that slops over from
the tank will run off promptly. There
is more or less water dropped over
while the utensils are being washed
and when we have a cement floor and
drains this is easily disposed of. The
cans, palls and other utensils must be
sterilized and aired and kept absolutely clean at all times. Milk that is
handled in this manner will reach the
city in good condition and be good,
wholesome food for those who consume  it.
The   Modern   Method   of  Transporting    Milk.
fast becoming a factor in the milk
trade of all large cities but the question of improving the quality of the
great mass of market milk Is of fax
more importance for the reason that it
concerns the larger number of consumers and the larger number of producers.
Among the conditions that control
the value of market milk are the
health of the cows, the care of the
milk, the flavor or taste, the odor, and
the general appearance of the milk. I
have found in my dairy practice that
these conditions are so closely related
that lt ls difficult to tell where one
leaves ofT and the other begins. All
of the conditions must be right if we
and clean and wholesome food and
some form of succulent food at all
times when being fed heavy rations of
grain feeds. Corn silage will provide
this succulence in the best and cheapest form.
If possible the herd should be tested
for tuberculosis once a year and examined frequently for other diseases and
derangements such as tumors, garget
and skin diseases. That disease may
be carried from the farm to the city
in the milk cans is an undisputed fact,
hence we should use the utmost care ln
everything that pertains to the cows
and methods of handling the product.
There must be regular times for feeding and milking governed by th« time
milk that which is given during the
flrst half hour after it is drawn from
the cow availeth most. It must be
removed from the stable at once to a
good, clean milk room and the temperature reduced as rapidly as possible. After the milk has passed through
a cooler into the cans they should be
set into a tank of cold water and remain there until time for delivery. A
few years ago we heard a lot about
aerating the milk, but unless one has
a room in which the air is uncontam-
lnated with dust and bacterial dirt the
aerator only exposes the milk to more
fllth.
The  milk   room   should   be  provided
with a cement floor and with drain tiles
In the production of market milk
the man who has a herd of Jersey cattle and puts his high grade milk Into
competition with the common grade of
market milk will lose money every
time he undertakes it. The market
milk is produced at a price where a
man must have cows that will give a
good quantity regardless of butter-fat
although it should at all times be reasonably good. Pure-bred cattle are
not the best adapted for the dairyman
who is producing market milk and
many excellent herds have been ruined
by feeding them too heavy grain rations in order to force them beyond
their natural capacity. A herd of
Continued on page 29.