without cooking. Should the income not allow the best quality of milk to
be used for all purposes, a cheaper grade can be used for cooking, but
it is always economical to purchase the best quality when this food is
to be used as a beverage.

[Illustration: FIG. 5]

49. In the next place, the housewife should purchase milk from a dealer
who delivers cold milk, because, as has been mentioned, bacteria
multiply rapidly in warm milk. She should also try to obtain milk put up
in bottles, for such milk has advantages over milk dipped from a can in
that it does not have the same chance to become dirty and it affords a
greater opportunity to secure accurate measurement. The kind of caps
used on milk bottles should also be observed. Caps that have to be pried
out with a knife or a similar utensil are not nearly so satisfactory as
those shown in Fig. 5 (_a_), which have small tabs _a_ that permit the
cap to be lifted out. In addition to the caps, which serve to keep dirt
out of the milk and permit it to be delivered without being spilled,
some dealers use covers like that shown in (_b_). Such covers are held
in place by a wire and serve further to protect the milk from
contamination.

If milk purchased in bottles is clean, there should be no sediment in
the bottom of the bottle after it has been allowed to stand for some
time. Also, if it is fresh, it will not sour quickly after it is
delivered, so that in case it is properly cared for and sours quickly,
it may be known to be stale milk. However, if it does not sour in the
normal length of time, it should be looked on with suspicion, for, as
has been pointed out, such milk may have added to it a preservative to
prevent souring. The housewife may expect milk that is delivered cold