Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 222, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1914 — CONSUMER’S PART IN PRODUCING CLEAN MILK [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONSUMER’S PART IN PRODUCING CLEAN MILK

By H. B. SWITZER,

Department of Dairy Husbandry, Purdue University

School Of Agriculture. j Pyrdue University Agricultural Extension.

The above illustration represents three samples" of milk, each produced under different conditions. Ths milk produced under “good” conditions shows no ferment or souring, although the other two samples, "medium" and “bad," represent various degrees of putrefaction of decay.

One of the greatest causes for the slow improvement in the sanitary condition of the milk supply today is the fact that most consumers are not demanding a . higher grade of milk. Health authorities and inspectors are willing and anxious to assist the public in obtaining a better grade of milk than they appear to be willing to pay for. The consumer must realize that to improve the sanitary quality of a product entails an added expenditure of time, labor and equipment. Only recently a well-known New York extension worker compiled figures to show that, within the last 15 years the price of feed alone had increased 69 per cent, while the price received for whole milk had increased only 39 per cent. This does not take into consideration the increased cost of labor or the increased valuation of the equipment It would seem that the solution of the whole problem is education. The extension departments of our state colleges,' inspectors and officials of public health departments have a great responsibility in this subject to make the consumer see that the old idea, “milk is milk,” has no more foundation than<‘eggs are eggs,” regardless of age or condition. Under

the present conditions, a producer who sends to the milk plant milk loaded; with filth, cow hair, and millions of bacteria, receives the same price per quart for it as the man who produces! milk under sanitary conditions. The* consumer does not buy spoiled fruitj bpcause every one knows its evil effects. The intelligent consumer should make it a point to know th® conditions surrounding the production, and handling of his milk supply andi be willing to pay a better price, as a! cleaner product is offered. The two most important factors*, which would aid in the improvement! of a milk supply are, first, a greater personal interest on the part of the* consumer, and better knowledge of! what constitutes a superior grade of milk; second, the, greater publicity of the inspectors’ work of the bacteriological findings and of the conditions, under which the milk was handled by the dealer. This information would then be readily available to the consumers, and they would know how to select the better grades. In the last analysis of the situation it is the buying of milk on a basis of its sanitary quality that is to bring about the most substantial improvement of the milk supply of our cities and towns.