18 DiKKCTou's Kei'okt of tub 



the two troubles may be readily distinjjjuished by the fuet that 

 imperfectly fertilized peaelies have undersized pits eoutaiuiuj^ 

 no kernel or else only a partially developed one; whereas, in the 

 " little i)each " disease the pit is of normal size and contains a 

 well developed kernel. 



Tile drain clogged hg fungus. — At Milton, N. Y., the three-inch 



« 



tile drain to a vinegar cellar became completely clogged by an 

 unusually luxuriant growth of the fungus Lcptoniitus lacteus. 

 The obstruction was readily removed by placing a handful ('f 

 copper sulphate crystals in the upper end of the drain. 



Fungus in rrfrigorators. — The water pipes to refrigerators 

 often become clogged with a dark-gray, slimy substance. The 

 principal part of this slime consists of a fungus which is a vege- 

 table growth and not an accumulation of matter from the ice. 

 It ma}' be removed by occasionally pouring boiling water 

 through the waste pipe. 



DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. 



Conditions affecting cJiasc curing. (1) Conditions affecting loss 

 of tceight. — Loss of weight in cheese during ripening is due 

 mainly to evaporation of moisture from cheese and, at long-con- 

 tinued temperatures above 70° F., to leakage of fat. Loss of 

 weight varies with following conditions: (1) Amount of moisture 

 originally in cheese; the greater the percentage of moisture in 

 the ch<'ese the more rapid and greater the loss of moisture. 

 (2) Temperature of curing-room; the higher the temperature 

 the greater and more rapid the loss of moisture. (3) The degree 

 of saturation w^ith moisture in air of curing-room; the more 

 moist the air the less rapid the loss of weight. (4) The size and 

 shape of cheese; increase of height or diameter of cheese 

 decreases the rapidity of relative loss of weight. (5) The tex- 

 ture of cheese; the closer and more solid the texture, the less 

 rapid the loss of moisture. 



These results point conclusively to the necessity of providing 

 curing-rooms in which the conditions of moisture and tempera- 

 ture can be controlled. Lower temperatures with proper 



