The  Water  Supply. — The  water  supply  of  the  dairy  is  one
of  the  most  important  factors  in  relation  to  the  healthfulness
of  milk.  Instances  are  now  quite  numerous  of  typhoid  fever
being  distributed  through  the  milk,  the  source  of  which  is
sometimes  traced  directly  to  the  water  supply.  So  distinctly
is  this  true  that  some  large  dairy  companies  refuse  to  accept
milk  from  a  farm  unless  they  have  had  an  opportunity  of
making  a  chemical  and  bacteriological  analysis  of  the  water
used  in  the  dairy.  This  does  not  apply  to  the  water  which  the
cows  drink,  but  to  the  water  which  is  used  in  the  dairy  for
washing  the  milk  vessels.  The  water  drunken  by  the  cows
rarely,  if  ever,  has  an  opportunity  of  contaminating  the  milk,
for,  as  we  have  seen,  bacteria  do  not  pass  through  the  milk
glands;  but  the  water  used  in  washing  the  milk  cans,
particularly  if  they  are  rinsed  with  cold  water,  may  find  its
way  into  the  milk  and  produce  trouble.  Every  dairyman
should,  therefore,  be  particular  as  to  the  water  supply  used
in  the  dairy,  and  it  should  be  always  remembered  that  no
well  which  is  located  near  a  house,  or  near  any  privy  vault,
is  safe  from  contamination  with  disease  bacteria.  The
farmer's  well,  if  near  his  house,  is  quite  unsafe  for  washing
the  milk  vessels.
Milking. — If  milk  could  pass  directly  from  the  milk  duct.
