CHARACTERISTICS OF WHOLESOME MILK

21. So far as the housewife is concerned, the qualities that
characterize wholesome milk are without doubt of great interest. She may
know of what use milk is in the diet and the food substances of which it
is composed, but unless she understands just what constitutes milk of
good quality, as well as the nature of inferior milk, she cannot very
well provide her family with the kind it should have. Therefore, to
assist her in this matter, the characteristics of wholesome milk are
here discussed. Such milk, it will be well to note, must be of the right
composition, must not be adulterated, must be fresh--that is, not older
when delivered than is permitted by law--and must be as clean
as possible.

22. STANDARD OF MILK COMPOSITION.--The housewife usually judges the
quality of milk by the amount of cream that rises to the top when milk
in a bottle is allowed to remain undisturbed for some time. This is
really an excellent test, because milk that contains only a small amount
of cream is of poorer quality than that which contains a larger amount;
in other words, the more cream milk contains, the higher will be its
food value and the greater its energy-producing ability. Then, too, milk
that is rich in cream usually contains proportionately large amounts of
protein and sugar.

While the composition of milk has much to do with the quality of this
food, it varies, as should be noted, in different breeds and even in
individual cows, depending on both the food and the care given to them.
For this reason, milk that is mixed is preferable to the milk of a