“ 
BORAX AS A PRESERVATIVE OF BUTTER. 577 
ter of Tuscany and Lombardy that the bad flavor often acquired by but- 
ter shipped to foreign countries was derived from the salt used in its pres- 
ervation. Some impurities exist in salt, and especially chlorides of 
lime and magnesia, and they may give a bad flavor to the butter. 
But the analysis made of the salt used in Lombardy shows that it is 
quite as pure as the salt used in Germany or elsewhere, consequently 
salt alone could not be the principal cause of good butter becoming bad. 
The antiseptic virtues of borax being well known, as well as the experi- 
ments to preserve meat and other edibles by its aid, it occurred that it 
might be substituted in butter in place of common salt. On trial it was 
found not to change in the least the flavor of the butter, and indeed 
preserved it admirably. But some of the farmers of Lombardy did not 
concur in this opinion. Great care must be taken to have perfectly pure 
borax, and particularly that it shall not eontain any carbonate of soda 
or alum. It is necessary also to have the borax reduced to a fine pow- 
der and thoroughly mixed with the butter in the same proportion as 
when common salt is used. 
The experiments made at the Agrarian Station of Florence, and also 
at the one of Cassificio, near Lodi, have given good results, after re- 
peated trials. Doubts, however, arose with reference to the physio!logi- 
cal action of the borax, as some people thought it a noxious substance. 
Mr. Cyon reported to the French Academy on the 25th November, 1878, 
that borax could be added to food in the proportion of 12 grammes 
daily without being pernicious, and furthermore, by substituting it for 
marine salt, it would assist its assimilation. On the contrary, Mr. G. 
Le Bon stated to the French Academy, on the 9th December, 1878, that 
borax frequently taken, even in very smal! quantities, was injurious, 
and ought not to be used even for the preservation of meats, &c. To 
this Mr. Ik. Cyon replied, on the 30th December, 1878, insisting wpon 
the innocuous qualities of borax. But Mr. G. Le Bon reiterated his 
opinion as to the bad consequences of using it for the above purpose. 
With this difference of scientific opinion, great circumspection was nec- 
essary in adopting the use of a Substance which might be very pernicious 
to health, even if taken in very small doses. At this juncture, Prof. 
Emilio Bechi, director of the Agrarian Station in Florence, made an 
important discovery, which throws some light on the question. For a 
long time Professor Bechi had been occupied in studying the borax 
mines in Tuscany, and has discovered and analyzed some new borax 
minerals, one of which Professor Dana, of New Haven, called in his 
honor Bechilite. Several reports on the borax deposits have been 
presented recently to the Academy of the * Lincei,” at Rome, by its presi- 
dent, Quintino Sella. One by Professor Bechi was read at the acad- 
emy on the 4th instant, stating the presence of borax in very many 
of the rocks and in the mineral water of Montecatoni; also in the 
wells of Florence, in the ashes of plants, and in the air itself. From this 
fact Professor Bechi argues that neither borax nor boracie acid, in very 
small quantities, however often taken, would do injury, and that it: may 
be used for the preservation of butter or meats with entire safety. 
For his family use Professor Bechi preserves his own butter in the 
following way: By heat he evaporates the water of crystallization ; then 
he reduces the borax to finest powder, and adds to the butter in the 
proportions of 6 parts of the former to 100 of the latter, thoroughly 
and equally intermixed. It is then put into the same sort of jars as are 
used for salted butter. His method is simply substituting borax for 
salt. Tor daily family use he finds that butter keeps fresh in water 
with only 3 per cent. of borax. Still he admits, although his own ex- 
37 AGR 
