STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 583 



more than their wages. The next thing is creanj ripening, which is pos- 

 siblj' the most important step in the whole process, as this is a factor that 

 largely controls the llavor, and flavor is the quality that distinguishes 

 butter from lard, tallov/ or any of the other fats. Flavor does not come 

 by chance. Every intelligent butter maker is fully aware of the uncer- 

 tainty and difficulty of producing a uniformly high flavor. Experience 

 has taught us that when certain processes are followed, the resulting 

 product is ordinarily of at least fair quality. But even under the best 

 sanitary conditions the product is often strikingly variable in flavor from 

 day to day. The cause of these variations and difliculties open up an im- 

 portant field for future investigation. The subject is of great scientific 

 interest as well as of practical value. Butter fat in itself is supposed to 

 have little or no flavor. It was formerly supposed that the flavor was 

 largelj^ due to the volatile fatty acids. The flavor substances are possibly 

 absorbed by the fat or are associated with the other constituents which 

 compose a portion of the butter. The chemical nature of the substance 

 which give the delicate flavor and aroma are not known. I think I am 

 safe in saying that it is generally accepted now that the flavor substances, 

 whatever they may be, are the products resulting from the breaking down 

 of the milk solids. It was shown by Professor Storch that they are the re- 

 sult of the growth of bacteria. I'rofessor Storch tells us that the flavor 

 of good butter comes from the decomposition of milk sugar. I might say 

 that Dr. Weigmann, the noted German bacteriologist, held the same view 

 when I visited his laboratory a little over a year ago. Dr. Conn, on the 

 other hand, thinks that the nitrogenous material in milk, such as the 

 casein and albumen, furnish the product which gives the flavor. The feed 

 consumed by the animal no doubt has an influence on the flavor as well 

 as on the color and the hardness of the butter. But in general this influ- 

 ence is much less than the effect of fermentation which has taken place 

 in the milk and cream. In cases where feeds, such as turnips or wild 

 onions and weeds are consumed by the cows, the flavor will undoubtedly 

 be imparted to the milk, butter or cheese, unless the milk or cream has 

 been pasteurized, when these volatile products pass off. The effect of 

 different kinds of ferments is not as easily removed, not even by pas- 

 teurization. This is the principal reason why we get much different flavor 

 in the winter than in the summer months, as the cows are usually milked 

 in the stable and the germs that get into the milk are mostly of the putre- 

 factive groups— those which cause ordinary decay. We found from in- 

 vestigation at our school that about 75 per cent, of the bacteria in milk 

 were of the undesirable kind during the winter months, while in the best 

 periods of the summer months we found as high as 90 per cent, of the 

 desirable kind. The thorough brushing and dampening of the udder before 

 milking and the removal of the milk from the stable as soon as drawn 

 would greatly diminish these effects. In our best cream, we found from 

 92 to 98 per cent, of the bacteria present to be of the acid producing 



