916 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Milk as a carrier of disease, II. M. Biggs (Proc. Neiv York Farmers, 1903-4, pp. 

 17-21). — This is a general discussion of this subject, with particular reference to the 

 sanitary conditions of dairies in New York, and with brief mention also of outbreaks 

 of disease traceable to the milk supply which have been studied by the author. 



Report of the Iowa educational butter contest, G. L. McKay and C. Larsen 

 ( Iowa Slit. Bui. SO, pp. 305-323). — Fifty-five butter makers in different localities in 

 the State cooperated during 1903 in sending tubs of butter to the station where they 

 were scored and then reshipped to New York, at which place they were again scored. 

 According to the plan each exhibitor was to send a 30-pound tub every other month, 

 but for various reasons only 223 instead of 330 tubs were received from the 55 exhib- 

 itors during the year. 



The objects of the test were to stimulate more interest in good butter making, to 

 locate creameries where the poorest butter was made, to study seasonal variations in 

 the composition and quality of creamery butter, causes for the wide variations in the 

 overrun obtained in different creameries, and the effect of the composition of butter 

 upon the quality and keeping properties. Tabulated data show the scores and 

 chemical analyses of the different samples and also remarks of the judges. 



The data relating to seasonal variations are summarized in the following table: 



Average scores and analyses of Iowa creamery butter. 



Mi hi tli. 



January. . . 

 March 



May 



August 



November 

 January. .. 



Number 



of 

 samples. 



Score at 



station. 



90.98 

 90.83 

 92. 65 

 92. 51 

 92. 05 

 93. 02 



Score at 

 New 

 York. 



88.3 

 87.31 

 90. 55 

 86.79 

 89. 18 

 88. 66 



Average 

 score. 



89.73 

 89.06 

 91.60 



90.6(1 

 90. 62 

 91. 15 



Composition. 



Per cent. 

 84.94 

 85.18 

 83.90 

 83.29 

 83.15 

 83.03 



Salt. 



l'i i- a nt. 

 1.86 

 1.64 

 2.39 

 2. 20 

 1.96 

 1.83 



The amount of overrun in different creameries was shown to be greatly influenced 

 by the composition of the butter, which in 221 samples was found to vary in salt 

 content from 0. 1 to 6.7 per cent, in water content from 7.56 to 20.67 per cent, and in 

 curd from 0.64 to 3.27 per cent. Eight samples contained more than 16 per cent of 

 water. 



As regards the quality of the butter it was concluded that the quality of the cream 

 and the methods employed in the manufacture of the butter are of more influence 

 than the composition of the butter. The keeping quality of the butter was not 

 regularly affected by the amount of curd present. It is believed, however, safer to 

 have less than 1 per cent of curd than 2 per cent or more present. 



Salt in butter, G. L. McKay and C. Larsen {Iowa Sta. Bui. 80, pp. 324-334).— 

 In experiments by F. W. Bouska to determine the effect of salt upon the growth of 

 micro-organisms isolated from butter, a yeast showed a luxuriant growth in a medium 

 containing 2 per cent of salt and a slight growth in a medium containing 6 per cent 

 of salt; Penicillium glaucum showed a slight growth in a medium containing 10 per 

 cent of salt and a rank growth in a medium containing less than 9 per cent; a spore- 

 bearing bacillus showed only a trace of growth in a 4 per cent salt medium, and no 

 growth in one containing 6 per cent, and a gas-producing organism showed only a 

 weak growth in a medium containing 4 per cent of salt. Salt is believed to act 

 as a preservative in butter to a greater degree than is ordinarily considered. 



Salt was found to be insoluble in pure butter fat. 



While water at 58° F. is capable of dissolving 35.94 per cent of salt, the water 

 existing in a mechanical mixture with the fat and other constituents of butter was 

 found to be capable of dissolving only 16.78 per cent, with 16.57 per cent as an aver- 



