576 KXPRRIMENT STATION RECORD. 



A milk epidemic of diphtheria associated with an udder disease of cows, 

 A. AsHBY (I'tiT). Health [London], W {1906), No. S, pp. 1J,5-160. fir/.^. 6).— 

 luvestigatious of a severe epidemic of diplitheria iu the villages of Twyford and 

 Ruscomlie in Berl^shire in 1904 indicated that the disease was spread by miilv and 

 that this Itecaiiie infected from ulcers on the teats of cows. 



Report on an investigation of an outbreak of typhoid fever at Kenton, Ohio, 

 E. G. IIoRTON (Ohio Sanit. Bttl., 10 {WOO), No. 7-12, pp. i.'/2-J.'/S).— The data 

 secured indicated that the outbreak was due mainly to infected milk. 



The National Creamery Buttermakers' Association, 1906 {Nat. Cream. 

 Buttoinakcrs' As-^oc. lipt., 1906, pp. 227, //.f/.s-. 2). — This contains a number of 

 addresses on subjects such as the preparation and value of starters, pasteuri- 

 zation of cream for butter making, the creamery overrun, churning of fresh 

 cream, etc., with a discussion following each paper. 



In addition to the proceedings of the National Creamery Buttermakers' Asso- 

 ciation this report includes an account of the national dairy farmers' conven- 

 tion which was held about the same time. Some of the subjects discussed at 

 the latter meeting were science and profit in dairying. 'the breeding and hand- 

 ling of dairy cows, economical feeding for milk production, profitable dairy 

 farming, the hand separator problem, and the milk and cream exhibit at the 

 national dairy show. 



The preparation of dry cultures, A. von Adelloiu-' {Milchic. ZcnthL, 2 

 {1906), No. 11, pp. .'iS9--'/92). Tests were made of magne.^ia, gypsum, milk 

 sugar, and potato fiour for absorbing milk cultures of lactic-acid bacteria for 

 use in butter making. A culture was also prepared by liciuefying a gelatin 

 culture of lactic-acid bacteria by heating to 40° C, adding milk sugar, drying 

 the mixture, and pulverizing. 



The gypsum, magnesia, and potato flour were considered unsuitable for this 

 purpose. The author believes that a dry culture should be prepared from a 

 milk culture, and that the absorbent material should be soluble and indifferent 

 in character. 



Improving the keeping qualities of hutter by means of hydrogen peroxid, 

 A. Hessegustrow {Milchir. ZcnthL, 2 {1906), No. 11, pp. 4S7-^S9).— Butter 

 was made from cream which had been treated with hydrogen peroxid accord- 

 ing to the method of Budde. The results of the three tests made indicated 

 that this method improved the keeping quality of the butter. The author, how- 

 ever, does not wish to draw positive conclusions from such limited data. 



Contribution to the knowledge of casein and coagulation with rennet, 

 g. Schmidt-Nielsen {Upmla Liikarcfor. ForhaiuU., ti. scr.. 11 {1906), Sup., 

 pp. 26). — According to the experimental results obtained, pure neutral sodium 

 caseinate and sodium paracaseinate in 2 per cent solutions are not precipi- 

 tated by pure sodium chlorid, but are completely precipitated by common salt 

 which contains 0.4 per cent of calcium. The quantity of calcium required for 

 this precipitation is for the casein 0.5 per cent and for the paracasein 3 per 

 cent. This is, however, in excess of the amounts actually combining with the 

 casein and paracasein. The calcium may be replaced by barium or magnesium 

 in quantities three times as large. 



It was found that the formation of so-called whey albumin stands in close 

 relation to the formation of paracasein, though it is not yet clear in what way 

 the albumin is formed. In addition to the enzym bringing about the changes 

 resulting in ])aracasein and whey albumin, it is ])ossible that there is also 

 jn-esent in the I'cnnet solution a second proteolytic enzym. 



Milk or calcimn casein solution decidedly alkiiline to litmus is coagul.-ited 

 witli rennet. During coagulation the reaction tends to become acid. It is 



