

DAIRY FARMING DAIRYING. 687 



Iii conclusion the milk ordinance of the city of Los Angeles is given. 



Milk: Its decomposition and preservation, R. R. Dinwiddie 

 {Arkansas Sta. Bui. 45, pp. 19-77, pis. 3. Jigs. 3). — The first part of the 

 bulletin has to do with the spontaneous changes occurring in milk, the 

 sources of bacterial infection, and methods of preserving milk. Some 

 data are given as to the number of bacteria in milk, based on observa- 

 tions by the author, accompanied by a popular discussion of the subject 

 of milk fermentations, the control of the souring of milk, methods of 

 sterilizing, etc. 



The second part reports some investigations on the species of bacteria 

 more commonly concerned in the souring of milk in the locality. The 

 milk from 2 dairy farms in the vicinity of the station was examined from 

 October to March and 2 samples of milk were obtained from dairies in 

 other parts of the State. The bacteria found in the souring milk were 

 classed under 3 heads: (1) those which occasioned a rapid souring and 

 complete coagulation, (2) those which produced only a partial curdling 

 with or without acidity, and (3) those which multiplied in the milk 

 without curdling either with or without acidity. Two representatives 

 of the first group arc illustrated and described. For one of these, 

 which the author believes to be a hitherto undescribed species, he pro- 

 poses the name Bacterium lactarii. Its characteristics are described in 

 detail. 



Experiments with pure cultures for ripening cream, P. Vieth 

 [Milch Ztg., 26 {1897 1, Wo. 33, pp. 519-5 21). — The author reports a number 

 of experiments made at different seasons of the year with Witte's and 

 von Lorentz's cultures. Control experiments were also made. The 

 butter was kept for two or three months and then tested as to quality. 

 In general the butter made with the Witte cultures was better than 

 that made without, as it changed less in keeping. The von Lorentz 

 cultures had no apparent good effect on the butter as compared with no 

 cultures. 



The author concludes that in these experiments, as in his previous 

 experiments, there was in general no unmistakable and universal 

 improvement in the quality or the keeping properties of butter from 

 using pure cultures. He states it as the general opinion of creameries 

 that pure cultures materially improve the quality of the butter, but 

 mentions that they are employed in creameries especially when some 

 batter fault appears. He believes that pure cultures are chiefly of value 

 in cases of butter faults, and intimates that the difficulty might fre- 

 quently be avoided or remedied by scrupulous cleanliness and employ- 

 ment of low temperatures. 



Action of beer yeasts on milk, E. Boullanger (Ann. Inst. Pas- 

 teur, 11 (1897), p. 720; abs. in Chem. Ztg., 21 (1897), Wo. 89, Bepert., p. 

 257). — There has been some difference of opinion as to whether yeasts 

 in some cases act upon not only the milk sugar but the casein of milk 

 also. The effect was studied of 8 different beer yeasts on sterilized 

 milk. During the first 3 months the appearance of the flasks was 



