New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 169 



amount of barium carbonate thus found, the amount of carbon 

 dioxide was calculated. On April i this cheese contained 12 

 per ct. of chloroform, and on Nov. 28th, at the close of the in- 

 vestigation, it contained 10.5 per ct. 



The normal cheese, before being placed under the bell-jar, was 

 completely covered on the outside by a mixture of vaseline and 

 creosote, in order to prevent as far as possible the growth of 

 any molds on the surface of the cheese. This was done at the 

 suggestion of the Station bacteriologist, Mr. H. A. Harding. 

 In a similar experiment, when no special precautions were used, 

 Babcock^ found it impossible to prevent the growth of molds 

 on the surface of cheese contained in a moist atmosphere under 

 a bell-jar. He calls attention to the fact that the growth of 

 mold was responsible for the formation of large quantities of 

 carbon dioxide. It was absolutely essential, therefore, that in 

 our work we should eliminate this source of carbon dioxide, if 

 we were to learn anything definite about other sources of carbon 

 dioxide formation within the cheese. 



PRODUCTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN NORMAL CHEESE. 



On the first day, we found the normal cheese had given ofif 

 0.044 gram of carbon dioxide; on the second day, 0.0978 gram; 

 on the third day, 0.118 gram; and on the fourth day, 0.139 gram. 

 On the eleventh day, the maximum daily record up to that time 

 was made, 0.146 gram. 



During the first week, we found 0.735 gram of carbon dioxide. 

 This amount gradually decreased until the fourth week, when 

 the amount was 0.364 gram. At this time the bell-jar was 

 opened and samples taken for chemical analysis. Before open- 

 ing the bell-jar, the aspiration was quickened somewhat in order 

 to reduce the carbon dioxide in the bell-jar to the lowest amount 

 possible. From the fourth to the ninth week, the amount of 

 carbon produced increased gradually, reaching 0.644 gram for 

 the ninth week. At this time a small patch of blue mold, cover- 

 ing about a square inch of surface, was observed. This was 

 scraped oiT and more creosote applied. At the end of the 

 eleventh week, another small patch of blue mold was noticed 



2 Cornell Univ. Exp. Sta. Report, p. 21 (1879 80), 



