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Report of the Chemical Department of the 



and the amount of carbon dioxide formed had again risen. 

 Again, at the end of the thirteenth week, another small patch 

 of mold was fomid and the amount of carbon dioxide produced 

 during this week Avas equal to that found during the first week 

 of the experiment, 0.735 gram, the maximum weekly yield during 

 the investigation. The whole outer surface of the cheese was 

 then treated anew with the mixture of vaseline and creosote and 

 afterw^ards no further trouble was experienced from the presence 

 of molds. It was very noticeable that the presence of mold 

 was quickly revealed by a sudden and marked increase in the 

 amount of carbon dioxide formed. From the end of the thir- 

 teenth week to the close of the investigation at the end of the 

 thirty-second week, the amount of carbon dioxide gradually de- 

 creased, being only 0.224 gram during the last week. 



During the entire period of 32 weeks, the total amount of 

 carbon dioxide produced was 15.099 grams. This is e(|ual to 

 0.5 per ct. of the fresh cheese and represents a loss of solids equal 

 to one-half pound for 100 pounds of fresh cheese. Undoubtedly 

 other gases or volatile compounds are formed in small quantities, 

 as shown by the blackening of the sulphuric acid in the drying- 

 train. We hope to make later a more detailed study of the 

 other gases formed in cheese during the ripening process. 



In the table following, we present the detailed results of our 

 work week by week: 



Table I. Amount of Carbon Dioxide formed in Normal Cheddar 

 Cheese during Each Week of Investigation. 



■ Increase due to presence of small amount of mold. 



