Report op the Director. 19 



In the first and larger part of the winter-course term, all students 

 receive instruction in all branches offered. This is to give them a 

 broad foundation upon which they can specialize. For example, the 

 prospective cheese maker is expected to take butter making, for he 

 will learn many things important for him to know easier in the butter 

 factory than in the cheese factory. Likewise, it is well for the butter 

 maker to understand the main principles of cheese making. Further- 

 more, it often happens that a man in a factory must change from 

 manufacturing one product to the other, either temporarily or per- 

 manently, and he might lose his position if he did not understand 

 the first principles of handling milk in more than one way. Thus 

 far, the practical work has been limited to butter making, cheese 

 making, milk testing, dairy mechanics and market milk. It is 

 desired to give instruction also in other branches of dairy work, 

 and this will be undertaken as soon as the larger facilities in our new 

 building are available. 



Great emphasis is given to the practical work as compared with 

 that in the class and lecture rooms. This year we used about 6,000 

 pounds of milk per day. It comes to us in small quantities from 

 nearby dairy farms, and in larger quantities by teams and rail from 

 dairies six to 25 miles distant. The milk is issued in lots 

 of 300 to 500 pounds to groups of two, three or four students and 

 they carry it through the entire process of manufacture, as would 

 be done in a factory where one man handles 3,000 to 5,000 pounds 

 of milk. Report blanks are used upon which every step of the work 

 is recorded, and care is taken to note the losses, over-rims, and flavors 

 and to study their causes. 



The detailed instruction is practically as follows: The principles 

 of different kinds of dairy work and subjects closely allied to dairying 

 are explained in lectures and recitations. Thorough drill in keeping 

 accounts and in all kinds of dairy mathematical problems is given 

 in the class-room. In cheese making care is taken first of all to teach 

 correct principles, and these bring in some practices which unfortu- 

 nately are not followed in a large number of factories throughout 

 the State. The reason for the backward condition of many cheese 

 factories is that methods of cheese making are changing and there 

 are always a large number of makers who are following old, out-of- 

 date rules and customs. Instruction includes the use of starters 

 and the treatment of difficulties commonly encountered in factories. 

 Special attention is given to the improved fermentation test and 

 experiments are conducted to show the effect of a larger or smaller 

 percentage of fat in milk upon the quantity and quality of cheese. 



