1919] DAIRY FARMING — DAIRYING. .'IT 7 



It appears impossible to produce milk under commercial condition! without 

 the presence of colon organisms. In milk from m clean barn, clean cows, and 

 sterilised utensils, 6.9 per cent of the samples showed colon organisms. With 



utensils sterilized but barn and cows dirty, the percentage was only Increased 



to 10.7. ruder the same dirty conditions but with utensils nol sterilized hut 

 washed in hot water one hour after milking, rinsed, and allowed to stand 

 inverted until the next milking, the percentage of Infected samples was liS.G. 

 Finally, With dirty cows, dirty barn, and utensils held eight hours after milk- 

 ing and then washed in hot water containing washing powder, but not sterilized, 

 the percentage was 71.4. 



In the 254 samples used to Investigate the influence of these diverse condi- 

 tions, there was only one colon count for fresh milk of over 'Jjwki per cubic centi- 

 meter, which leads the authors to believe that this figure is the maximum num- 

 ber of colon organisms that can be Introduced Into milk during milking, ex- 

 cept perhaps under very abnormal circumstances. Higher counts than this in- 

 dicate that the sample of milk has been held for a period of time at a relatively 

 high temperature, thereby allowing the original colon flora to multiply. 



A study of the action of bacteria on milk proteins, G. SPITZES and II. M. 

 WeeTEB {PrOC. I ml. Acad. Sti., 1917, pp. 91-'Jfi). — Sterile milk was inoculated 

 with pure cultures of 11 different kinds of bacteria that occur frequently In 

 milk, cream, and butter. Changes In acidity (expressed as percentage of lactic 

 acid), ammonia, amid nitrogen, and lactose content of the medium were de- 

 termined at intervals until the sixteenth day. 



The acidity developed was not uniformly In proportion to the lose of lactose 

 or to the gain in ammonia. The Bacillus lactis acidi culture was markedly 

 different from the others. It developed its maximum acidity by the fourth 

 day and maintained it unchanged throughout the period of observation. This 

 Increase In acidity was over three times that produced by any other organism 

 during the 16 days. This culture showed almost the lowest ammonia and 

 amid nitrogen production, and a smaller loss of lactose than that found in any 

 cultures producing appreciable increased acidity except B. mycoidea. The 

 group composed of B. protcus, B. fluorescein putidus, B. coli, and /;. butyricus, 

 which caused either a decrease or no essential change in acidity, averaged 

 distinctly lower gains in ammonia and amid nitrogen and a smaller loss of 

 lactose than the six other organisms (B. mycoides, B. viscosus, B. megatherium, 

 B. mesentericus, li. subtilis, and B. liquefaciens) that caused moderate increasas 

 in acidity. 



Experiments of this type are being continued. 



A pocket card for the easy calculation of milk mixtures. .T. P. C. Gbottth 

 (Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 71 (WIS), No. 6, pp. -})/. U2, figs. 8).— The card de- 

 scribed contains a table giving approximate percentage composition of different 

 layers of milk, and directions for finding the amount of any layer to be used to 

 give percentages desired and for determining the percentages present in any 

 milk mixture already in use. On the reverse side of the card is a table of the 

 amounts to be employed in making various 20-OZ. milk mixtures and the 

 caloric values resulting. Attention is drawn to the fad that the commercial 

 pasteurizing of milk interferes greatly with the making of milk mixtures from 

 the different layers. 



Butter fat losses in creameries, B. M. Washbubn, A. C. Dahlrebo, J. So- 

 benson, and M. P. Mobtenseh (Minnesota 8ta. Bui. 177 (1918), pp. 3 ft).— 

 This is an attempt to determine what part of the observed differences between 

 actual and calculated overrun is due to fat losses occurring mechanically In 

 the plant fixtures and what part to errors either Inherent In tin* Babcock I 

 or resulting from faulty manipulation of the test in commercial practice. The 



