OLEOMARGARINE. 539 



Bacteria are in milk. They enter the milk from the air as soon as it 

 comes from the cow, and start a growth which predominates until the 

 milk comes up to that state of ripeness when it is lit to churn. The 

 idea of pure culture is that we get normal bacteria, and we try to keep 

 all others out of that milk. For instance, milk may be Pasteurized, or 

 taken to the creamery and skimmed before there is any bacteriological 

 development in there. Then the bacteria have such strength that they 

 multiply and occupy the whole field and crowd out all others, and in 

 that way we get a desirable flavor that is pleasant and uniform. The 

 best plan of producing flavor is to take the milk of a new cow, Pasteur- 

 ize it, sterilize it, and use that as a basis for the growth of this culture; 

 put it in there because there are no other bacteria then in there; and 

 then you cultivate your germ; then churn it into the newly skimmed 

 cream, and that goes through it and starts the bacterial growth which 

 makes it of uniform flavor. That process is used for the purpose of 

 obtaining a uniform flavor, as uniformity is desirable in all other things. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. How are bacteria cultivated in Limburger 

 cheese ? 



Mr. KNIGHT. It is a bacterial growth. 



Senator HANSBROUGH. Of course, I understand that, but I ask the 

 question seriously. 



Senator DOLLIVER. It certainly is not microscopic. 



Mr. TOMPKINS. It is parallel with oleomargarine. Everybody admits 

 that it is wholesome. I quite agree that it is not unwholesome. But I 

 think that if the public had to be informed that it is necessary for but- 

 ter to be impregnated with bacteria the public would be prejudiced 

 against that butter. We need a process of bacterial purification. 

 Colonel Waring, of New York, has invented such a process. I have 

 seen him take the worst sort of sewage and put it through his purify- 

 ing process, and as the water came out at the other end the residual 

 product was perfectly pure, and I have seen him drink it without preju- 

 dice, but I think the public would object to that. At the same time 

 that water, after its purification by his process, is better water than the 

 cities furnish, provided the process be carried far enough. I acknowl- 

 edge it is offensive to see a man drink it, much less drink it yourself. 

 Prejudices apply to all these processes, even if the result obtained is 

 perfect. It is nothing but prejudice. But in another case where that 

 sentiment and prejudice exist, if you make a requirement against one 

 you ought to make it against the other. 



Mr. KNIGHT. Let me tell you something about these bacteria, which 

 you say are an artificial culture. It is not necessary to use them. 

 Exactly the same results can be obtained from skimmed milk. There 

 is not one creamery in a hundred that uses them. 



Mr. TOMPKINS. That might do in making butter, but they do use it, 

 and there is a prejudice against it. 



Mr. KNIGHT. I want to take issue on that, because I am in the butter 

 trade and am the publisher of a paper devoted to the business. I do 

 not believe there is any such prejudice. The amount of the artificial 

 culture is merely a drop in a tincupful. 



Mr. TOMPKINS. How many bacteria are there in a drop ? 



Mr. KNIGHT. There might be 4,000,000. There is nothing there but 

 the milk. That drop starts the whole thing and the rest is develop- 

 ment. 



The committee adjourned until Saturday, January 12, 1901, at 10,30 

 a.m. 



