STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 473 



dairy exhibition and have also been here to hear their butter criticised 

 are certainly to be congratulated upon the fact that they have been able to 

 learn why their butter and cheese was graded as it was. We will now 

 have a vocal solo. 



Vocal solo by E. C. Warring, of Plainfield. 



President: Professor Oscar Erf, of the Illinois University, will discuss 

 the question of "Starters for Cream Ripening." This is a subject that is 

 of interest to the private dairyman as well as commercial creamerymen. 



Prof. Oscar Erf: Ladies and Gentlemen— I am glad to have an op- 

 portunity to meet the dairy people of Indiana today. I always feel at 

 home when I am among dairymen. Over around Champaign we do not 

 have many dairymen, so when I want to feel at home I have to go up 

 in the northern part of the State. I think the reason I prefer to be with 

 dairymen, not only that it is part of my vocation, but because I think 

 they are really progressive. 



Before beginning my paper I would like to say that I am going some- 

 what into the discussion of bacteriology; somewhat into the details. It 

 might be something like the traveling man that di'ank tea at a restaurant. 

 After drinking five cups, and asking for the sixth, the Vaiter came back 

 smiling, and he says, "My friend, you certainly must like tea." "Well," 

 he says, "I do, or I wouldn't drink so much water in order to get a little 

 tea." 



STARTERS FOR CREAM RIPENING. 



PROFESSOR OSCAR ERF, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS. 



The all important question of the day with creamery and dairymen is 

 how to obtain a uniform and finely-flavored butter. Neai'ly all investi- 

 gators agree that the secret lies in the proper ripening of the cream; and 

 when we read of the tons of low-grade butter brought into the markets 

 daily, all owing to the fact that negligence or ignorance as to the proper 

 treatment of the cream lies at the root of this great fault, it appears to be 

 a point worthy of consideration. 



To state the subject of starters plainly and intelligently, it is neces- 

 sary to take the fundamental principles of the ripening of cream into con- 

 sideration. The ripening of cream includes two features upon which the 

 quality of butter largely depends. These are flavor and texture. The 

 effects of ripening with starters are far more marked upon the flavor 

 of butter than upon the texture, for it is during this process that the 

 characteristic flavors are developed. Cream ripening is merely a fermen- 

 tation process, caused by bacterial growth. This growth is controlled by 



