THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX 507 



that milk contains certain digestive principles, the so-called unorganized 

 fe'rments, which slowly digest the milk. All these are foreign to a good 

 starter and of necessity will be guarded against in the selection of milk 

 in which the culture is expected to develop that clean pronounced flavor 

 and later aroma so desirable in the finished product. 



The basis of all life is a jelly-like substance known as protoplasm. 

 In its various forms it constitutes the actual living, changing part of 

 every living thing, plant or animal. The simplest living things are merely 

 shapeless masses of this jelly. Bacteria are tiny one-celled plants. Their 

 food must be in a condition to pass through the cell wall to the living 

 protopasm within; it must be in solution. Thus we note certain elements 

 and certain combinations of elements are necessary for their growth. 



Milk ofttimes acquires abnormal flavors and odors. Some pathological 

 conditions of the cow may produce milk with an unusual flavor. This 

 may occur when she shows no outward sign of disorder and usually lasts 

 for a short time only and then disappears leaving the creamery man at 

 sea unless he uses some chemical to develop the cause. Highly flavored 

 foods often impart their peculiar flavors to the milk and oftentimes this 

 favor is so mild it is not readily detected until the starter has ripened. 

 Warm milk especially takes up odors and flavors in the surrounding air 

 with great rapidity. Indeed there are so many ways and conditions to 

 guard against in the selection of milk for the starter and each one to be 

 treated differently to insure a culture that is desirable that we wonder 

 that the buttermaker has been able to attain the results he has. Realizing 

 as we do the importance of the necessity of selecting and knowing the 

 milk we use we have dwelt long upon this, the flrst step in making a 

 starter. 



The utensil to be used must next be considered. We have given this 

 long and careful study and prefer to use a copper vessel rather than one 

 of tin or glass, and of the latter two named give the tin the preference. 

 Glass admits the sun's rays to bear upon its contents unless wrapped 

 carefully, destroying the very life of the bacteria producing the desirable 

 flavors. In tin, rust spots often appear leaving a trail of victims in their 

 wake. Our experience has taught us to use a copper can well tinned. 



The can should not have an oval top, but rather a flat one with a well 

 fitted cover or lid. With an oval top can we are prone to fill only to the 

 place where the can begins to round in, thus leaving an air space where 

 all sorts of bacterial formations get in their work and get mixed into the 

 culture and are difficult to weed out. Therefore, you will please allow 

 us to repeat — use a copper pail or can, well tinned upon the inside, and 

 fill it full to the cover. 



The pasteurization of the milk and the sterilizing of the can are of vital 

 importance, also the preparation of the milk for pasteurization. Warm 

 milk should never be pasteurized until it has been thoroughly cooled. 

 Cooking the animal heat into the milk has destroyed many good cultures 

 and there is but one way to avoid this and that is by thoroughly cooling 

 the milk before it is heated. One hundred eighty degrees F. for thirty 

 minutes is usually all that is necessary to prepare the milk for its inocu- 

 lation, but there are certain conditions when even this will not bring the 



