578 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



]terftH't oonditioii. I'.ritisli agricullnriil stock niid (Iniry shows diffor from 

 AniericMii shows be'cjiiisc they are eoiuliK-ted for the solo purpose of stiiiiuhitin;^ 

 interest in agriculture. In Holland and Denmark dairying is the chief agri- 

 cultural industry and not a side issue. Small holdinjjs and cooi»eration have 

 enabled Denmark to lead other nations in dairying. 



[Literature on fermentation and other changes in milk], A. Kocii (Jnhrcs- 

 hcr. (l(iniii(i.s-()i(/(iiiisiii<n, 17 (1900), mi. 29H-.'i.i.'>). — This hibliograi)hy refers 

 (p. 41S) to literature jtublished iu VM)C< relating to changes in milk due to bac- 

 teria, onzyms, and other causes. Abstracts are given of the more important 

 articles. 



Biological investigations of milk which creamed abnormally, A. Wolff 

 (Milchic. ZentU., 5 (1909), No. 12, pp. 530-538, pis. 2).— This is a study of a 

 sample of milk in which the cream rose very rapidly. The layer of milk next to 

 the cream was of a bluish color, and small clots in the milk adhered to the sides 

 of the milk vessel. The butter made from the cream was also abnormal and 

 became rancid in a much shorter time than usual. 



A microscopical examination showed that the fat globules were very large 

 and irregular in shape. A few colostral bodies and leucocytes were found but 

 no streptococci. The cause of the trouble was apparently an alkaline forming 

 bacillus which was present in large numbers. Bacterium fluorescens may have 

 contributed somewhat to the bluish coloration. The alkaline bacillus was found 

 in freshly drawn milk and water taken from a well on the farm, and seemed to 

 be widely distributed about the premises. Samples of abuoi'mal milk from 

 other sourc(>s were also found to contain the same bacillus. 



The bacterial flora of milk held at low temperatures, M. P. Ravenel, E. G. 

 Hastings, and B. W. Hammer {Jour. Infect. Diseases, 7 (1910), No. 1, pp. 

 SS-//6'). — A report of a study of the activity of the bacterial flora of milk and 

 water kept from 6 to 203 days at —9 and 0° C. 



" In milks held at — 9° there was a clumping of the casein and fat, no increase 

 in bacteria developing on agar and gelatin, and an increase in the amount of 

 soluble nitrogen and a decrease in the acidity. 



" In milks held at 0° there was a marked increase in the bacterial content re- 

 sulting in an increase iu acidity, an increase in the percentage of soluble nitro- 

 gen so that it eventually amounted to over 70 per cent of the total nitrogen, and 

 a decrease in the total nitrogen content probably due to a liberation of free 

 nitrogen." 



The data shows that the ordinary temperature at w^hich milk is stored, 33 to 

 40° F., is such as to exclude the growth of the ordinary lactic bacteria, but not 

 the growth of the putrefactive organisms. 



In practical effects cold storage is identical with pasteurization, since it re- 

 moves from the sphere of action that class of bacteria that prevent the growth 

 of harmful kinds of organisms, while it allows the harmful bacteria to develop. 



Composition of market butter, C. E. Lee and J. M. Barnhaet (Illinois Sta. 

 Bill. 139, pp. Ji^l-457). — The object of this investigation was to study the compo- 

 sition of butter found on the market. 



The average compositign of 574 samples of market butter collected from 

 several States for a period of 1 year was as follows: Water 13.54, fat 83.2, 

 salt 2.25, and casein and ash 0.9 per cent. There was no difference in compo- 

 sition of buter caused by the season of the year, the State where it was made, 

 or the dealer by which it was handled. The variation in composition of sam- 

 ples taken from the churn in different creameries was not greater than the 

 samples taken from any single creamery. The average composition of 60 sam- 

 ples of butter eiUibited at tUe I\'atiouul Creamery Buttermakers' Convention 



