first be rinsed in lukewarm instead of hot
water, so as to remove organic matter without coagulating the milk. Then
wash thoroughly in hot water, using a good washing powder. The best
washing powders possess considerable disinfecting action.[5] Strong
alkalies should not be used. After washing rinse thoroughly in clean hot
water. If steam is available, as it always is in creameries, cans and
pails should be turned over jet for a few moments. While a momentary
exposure will not suffice to completely sterilize such a vessel, yet
many bacteria are killed in even a short exposure, and the cans dry more
thoroughly and quickly when heated by steam.

Not only should the greatest care be paid to the condition of the cans
and milk-pails, but all dippers, strainers, and other utensils that come
in contact with the milk must be kept equally clean. Cloth strainers,
unless attended to, are objectionable, for the fine mesh of the cloth
retains so much moisture that they become a veritable hot-bed of
bacterial life, unless they are daily boiled or steamed.

The inability to thoroughly render vessels bacteria-free with the
conveniences which are generally to be found on the farm has led in some
cases to the custom of washing and sterilizing the milk cans at the
factory.

~Germ content of milk utensils.~ Naturally the number of bacteria found in
different milk utensils after they have received their regular cleaning
will be subject to great fluctuations; but, nevertheless, such
determinations are of value as giving a scientific foundation for
practical methods of improvement. The following studies may serve to
indicate the relative importance of the utensils as a factor in milk
contamination.

Two cans were taken, one of which had been cleaned in the ordinary way,
while the other was sterilized by steaming. Before milking, the udder
was thoroughly cleaned and special precautions taken to avoid raising of
dust; the fore milk was rejected. Milk drawn into these two cans showed
the following germ content:

No. bacteria Hours before
per cc. souring.

Steamed pail 165 28-1/2
Ordinary pail 4265 23

Harrison[6] has shown how great a variation is in the bacterial content
in milk cans. The utensils were rinsed with 100 cc. of sterile water and
numerical determinations of this rinsing water made. In poorly cleaned
cans, the ave