DAIRY FARMING — DAIRYING. 7l7 



year. The cows varied in a;4e from 4 to 13 years, and were in different stages of 

 lactation when the sam]iles Were secnred. The feeding also A'aried from time to 

 time. 



The glycerin varied in amount from 11.99 to 13.07, averaging 12.46 per cent; the 

 total fatty acids from 94.18 to 94.63, averaging 94.48 per cent; the insoluble nonvol- 

 atile fatty acids from 84.23 to 90.46, averaging 87.86 per cent; oleic acid from 32.31 

 to 50.68, averaging 39.71 percent; and the soluble volatile fatty acids from 4.07 to 

 9.95, averaging 6.47 percent. The refractometer number varied from 41.7 to 45.9, 

 and the Reichert-Meissl number from 19.1 to 43.5. Feeding and the stage of lacta- 

 tion are believed to be the most important factors affecting the composition of the 

 butter fat. 



Variations in the composition of ^butter, A. Bonn [Rev. Internal. Falsif., 16 

 {1903), pp. 129-13^; ahs. in Chein. CcrdbL, 1903, II, No. 26, p. 1461).— The author re- 

 views considerable analytical data concerning variations in the composition of but- 

 ter, and draws the conclusion that some definite standard should be adopted. He 

 suggests a saponification number of 218, a Hehner number of 88, and a content of 

 Volatile fatty acids as butyric acid of 5.5 per cent. 



Making butter with ferments containing- starch, J. Vanderplaxcken and 

 A. J. J. Vandevelde {Sep. from Rpt. 6, FleinisJi Cong. Nat. Sci. and Med., 1902, pp. 4)- — 

 Tlie Belgian law requires the addition of starch and sesame oil to oleomargarine in 

 order to make it more easily detected. The authors observed that certain ferments 

 used in butter making are mixed with starch, and their investigations showed that 

 this starch appears in the finished butter, making it, therefore, impossible to deter- 

 mine with certainty the addition of oleomargarine by this method. — n. m. pieters. 



A comparison of the bacterial content of cheese cured at different temper- 

 atures, F. C. Harrison and W. T. Connell {Rev. Gen. Lait, 3 {1903), Nos. 4, PP- 

 iy'O-So; 5, pp. 103-111; 6, pp. 126-137; 7, pp. 150-155; 8, jjp. 173-180).— The bacterial 

 flora of Canadian Cheddar cheese and the relation of the bacteria to the changes 

 occurring during the process of ripening, were investigated at the Ontario Agricul- 

 tural College at Guelph and the Eastern Dairy School at Kingston, Canada, The 

 cheeses subjected to bacteriological examinations were cured (1) in an insulated 

 curing room having a temperature varying usually between 60 and 65°, and averag- 

 ing 62.2° F. ; (2) in an ordinary curing room in which no attempt was made to 

 control the temperature; (3) in cold storage at about 40° F. ; and (4) in an ordinary 

 curing room for 1, 2, or 3 weeks and then in cold storage. 



The bacteria found were divided into 4 classes: (1) Lactic-acid bacteria, including 

 several varieties, of which the commonest was Bacillus acidi lactici; (2) gas-forming 

 bacteria, mainly varieties of B. coli communis and B. lactis serogenes, but including 

 occasionally a species resembling Proteus vulgaris; (3) digesting bacteria, consisting 

 of Micrococcus aureus lactis, M. varians lactis, B. fulvus, and B. halofaciens; and (4) 

 indifferent bacteria, including various forms of sarcina, yeast, and torula, B. subtilis, 

 and occasionally one or two other species in small numbers. The lactic-acid bacteria 

 \\-ere the only forms constantly present in very large numbers. The scorings and 

 the bacteriological data are jiresented in detail in tabular form. 



The bacterial content was usually highest at the time of taking from the press, 

 although occasionally the maximum was not reached until 2 to 5 days later. The 

 total number of bacteria in cheese under 4 days old varied from 110,750,000 to 

 635,000,000 per gram. After the first few days there was a gradual and continuous 

 decline in the number of bacteria. The bacterial content remained high for a longer 

 period, and the decline was more gradual in the case of cheese kept in cold storage 

 than in cheese cured in an ordinary curing room. The cold-storage cheese showed 

 invariably the highest bacterial content, and with this was associated better body 

 and flavor in the cheese. It is therefore inferred that the higher bacterial content 

 is the chief factor in determining the flavor of cheese properly made from normal 



