300 Bulletin 178. 



On the other hand, Moore* has isolated species from the fore 

 milk which were capable of rapidly souring milk and hence of great 

 importance to the dairyman. 



The methodsf employed by the present writer unfortunately 

 were not such as would have permitted the recognition of Bacillus 

 acidi lactici had it been present. Esten has found this organism 

 in the fore milk of several cows and has shown that it grows best at 

 the temperature of the cow's body. He has suggested that Bacillus 

 acidi lactici in milk may come originally from the milk duct of the 

 teat. A further examination of the lactiferous ducts of the udder 

 employing methods adapted for the easy recognition of acid pro- 

 ducing organisms would be of the greatest interest. 



The principle at stake is an important one. If harmless species 

 invade the udder, certainly there is a possibility that species capable 

 of injuring milk, but harmless to the cow, may be present. Moore 

 and the writer;}: have studied a gaseous fermentation occurring in 

 cheese curd in which the gas producing bacteria appear to have been 

 localized in the udders of the cows supplying the milk used in the 

 factory. 



The ineffectual attempts to obtain milk in commercial quantities 

 uncontaminated by bacteria can be directly ascribed to the presence 

 of bacteria within the depths of the udder. Since the dangers from 

 the contamination of milk by fecal matter, etc., have been recognized 

 the advisability of Pasteurizing all milk and cream which are to be 

 consumed raw, has been considered. The application of that sugges- 

 tion causes some undesirable changes in the heated milk. Among 

 these are : loss of property of creaming readily and of the most 

 importance in milk for infants' food, the alleged lessening of the 

 digestibility of heated milk. To obviate this difficulty, attempts 

 have been made to bottle milk directly from the udder with the 

 exercise of sucb precautions as to prevent contamination by bac- 

 teria. Milk drawn with rigid care, after rejecting the fore milk 



*Loc. cit. 



f W. M. Esten, Bacillus acidi laciti and other acid organisms found in American 

 dairies. Ninth Annual Report of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 p. 49. 



X Loc. cit. 



