" It has been found that the milk from a perfectly healthy cow, when entirely uncontaminated, is absolutely sterile — that is, contains no germs. But ordinary milk always contains bacteria, and as milk furnishes* an excel- lent food medium for their development, they will multiply very rapidly." We are also informed that there are many millions of bacteria in every pint of milk, depending upon the locality of dairies and the care exercised in handling ; and that the milk obtained in a clean stable from a well-kept cow^ and milked into a sterilized bottle, contained thousands « of bacteria. But when the milking was done under the ordinary conditions of farm practice, "the number of bacteria was increased to millions." Milk is far more dangerous than meat, because used largely in an uncooked state. Have our scientists told us how it happens that " milk from a perfectly healthy cow, when entirely uncontami- nated, is absolutely sterile " — that is, contains no germs — and yet that it is impossible to find milk devoid of *• germs " at the present time? Have they discovered the process by which the bacteria first come to exist in milk; or will they continue to multiply the bacteria, kill them and run the risk attending their use ? MILK AND THE COW. 185 How unfortunate that the anatomy of the cow is so constructed that her milk is only obtainable in a pure condition, through the natural way, by her own offspring t An extract from an editorial in "Medical News" Dec. 29, 1894, says on milk: **It is simply the question of germs, and already the use of milk is lessening. Thousands of families boil it. Thousands avoid it when possible, and with good reason, for milk has been proved to have conveyed to the human race, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria, dysentery, cholera infantum, cholera and ulcerative stom- atitis. It would not be impossible, under a universal public disgust, for the whole business to be ruined. The conservatism of the kitchen still holds to it in cooking, but it seems probable that very soon we shall have recipes for all necessary dishes without it." These are words full of meaning, and should the entire bovine race be exterminated we could exist without the bacteria laden milk, as substitutes are already in use for necessary culinary operations. There are forms of condensed milk, unsweetened^ which are preferable to the uncertain quality of fresh dairy milk in its present doubtful condition. Indeed, it seems very strange that, with all the startling facts and figures that have been placed before us during the past years, any thoughtful person should fail to recognize the risk attend- ing the use of dairy products. BUTTER AND CHEESE. All that has been said of milk applies to butter and cheese. It may not be known to consumers of butter that an artificial method of producing the flavor of June Butter has been discovered. It is, however, no secret, as scien- 13 l86 THE FAT OF THE LAND. tiiic and agricultural papers are giving it wide publicity as a supposed benefit to both producer and consumer. This consists in breeding a certain form of bacteria, pronounced harmless(?), and with these innoculating the cream. The rapid formation of millions of these living organisms produces the priceless flavor which old-fashioned people rejoiced in as "June butter," and by this artificial propagation of bacteria we are enabled to have June Butter all the year round, and can congratulate ourselves on becoming the mausoleum of still another form of animal life. THE DOMESTIC COW AS SHE WAS AND IS TUBERCULOSIS. It may be well, in view of what has been said on dairy products, to devote a few pages to this subject.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

" It has been found that the milk from a perfectly healthy cow, when entirely uncontaminated, is absolutely sterile — that is, contains no germs. But ordinary milk always contains bacteria, and as milk furnishes an excellent food medium for their development, they will multiply very rapidly." We are also informed that there are many millions of bacteria in every pint of milk, depending upon the locality of dairies and the care exercised in handling ; and that the milk obtained in a clean stable from a well-kept cow, and milked into a sterilized bottle, contained thousands « of bacteria. But when the milking was done under the ordinary conditions of farm practice, "the number of bacteria was increased to millions." Milk is far more dangerous than meat, because used largely in an uncooked state. Have our scientists told us how it happens that " milk from a perfectly healthy cow, when entirely uncontaminated, is absolutely sterile " — that is, contains no germs — and yet that it is impossible to find milk devoid of *• germs " at the present time? Have they discovered the process by which the bacteria first come to exist in milk; or will they continue to multiply the bacteria, kill them and run the risk attending their use ? How unfortunate that the anatomy of the cow is so constructed that her milk is only obtainable in a pure condition, through the natural way, by her own offspring t An extract from an editorial in "Medical News" Dec. 29, 1894, says on milk: **It is simply the question of germs, and already the use of milk is lessening. Thousands of families boil it. Thousands avoid it when possible, and with good reason, for milk has been proved to have conveyed to the human race, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria, dysentery, cholera infantum, cholera and ulcerative stomatitis. It would not be impossible, under a universal public disgust, for the whole business to be ruined. The conservatism of the kitchen still holds to it in cooking, but it seems probable that very soon we shall have recipes for all necessary dishes without it." These are words full of meaning, and should the entire bovine race be exterminated we could exist without the bacteria laden milk, as substitutes are already in use for necessary culinary operations. There are forms of condensed milk, unsweetened^ which are preferable to the uncertain quality of fresh dairy milk in its present doubtful condition. Indeed, it seems very strange that, with all the startling facts and figures that have been placed before us during the past years, any thoughtful person should fail to recognize the risk attending the use of dairy products. BUTTER AND CHEESE. All that has been said of milk applies to butter and cheese. It may not be known to consumers of butter that an artificial method of producing the flavor of June Butter has been discovered. It is, however, no secret, as scien- tiiic and agricultural papers are giving it wide publicity as a supposed benefit to both producer and consumer. This consists in breeding a certain form of bacteria, pronounced harmless(?), and with these innoculating the cream. The rapid formation of millions of these living organisms produces the priceless flavor which old-fashioned people rejoiced in as "June butter," and by this artificial propagation of bacteria we are enabled to have June Butter all the year round, and can congratulate ourselves on becoming the mausoleum of still another form of animal life. THE DOMESTIC COW AS SHE WAS AND IS TUBERCULOSIS. It may be well, in view of what has been said on dairy products, to devote a few pages to this subject.

A practical cook and text book for general use