286 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Statistics from fifty two Wisconsin separator creameries, E. H. 

 Farrington (Wisconsin 8ta. Bui. 56, pp. 38). — This bulletin is based 

 on the result of visits to 52 creameries in different parts of the State. 

 Observations relative to the equipment and general management of 

 the creamery, the relation of the creamery to its patrons, efficiency of 

 separators and various operations in the process of butter making were 

 made and samples of the skim milk, buttermilk, and butter were ana- 

 lyzed at the station. The results of these observations are given in 

 the text and tables. The summary of the analyses of the samples 

 of butter taken from 52 creameries is as follows: 



Summary of analyses of 52 samples of creamery butter. 



"A few of these samples contained an extremely high or low percentage of each 

 of the constituents, as will be seen by an inspection of the summary of the preceding 

 table. 



''The following statement shows the number of samples coming within the range 

 given in the percentages of the various components : 



"80 per cent of the samples contained between 10 and 14 per cent water. 



"75 per cent of the samples contained between 2 and 4 per cent salt. 



"80 per cent of the samples contained betweer 1 and 2 per cent curd. 



"69 per cent of the samples contained between 80 and 84 per cent fat. 



"60 per cent of the samples contained between 26 and 18 per cent water, salt, and 

 curd. 



"The average of over 350 butter analyses made by the writer or under his imme- 

 diate direction during the World's Fair Dairy Test in 1893 was: Water 11.57, butter 

 fat 84.70, salt 2.78, curd 0.95, aud sum of the water, salt, and curd 15.3 per cent. 



"A butter maker who reports an 'over-run' of more than 16 per cent is either 

 incorporating an excessive quantity of water in the butter or his weights or tests of 

 the milk are inaccurate." 



The ripening of cheese and the role of microorganisms in the 

 process, I. Shirokth (Selsk. Khoz. Lyesov., 98 (1896), pp. 263-288). — 

 This is quite an extensive resume of the work done on this subject by 

 Duclaux, Freudenreich, Adametz, Lloyd, and others, with an account of 

 some additional investigations by the author. 



Analyses given by Duclaux indicate that the most characteristic 

 change which takes place in the chemical composition of cheese in 

 ripening is the conversion of nearly one-half of the casein into nitroge- 

 nous substances soluble in water. 



In old cheese a still larger portion of casein is converted into soluble 

 nitrogenous substances, among which are found a considerable amount 

 of ammonia and other products of an advanced stage of decomposition. 

 In brief it may be said that the process of ripening cheese reduces 

 itself to a decomposition of the casein. 



