340 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



June, 1922 



tent of pasteurized cream butter. The fig- 

 ures given in Table VI plainly show that a 

 distinct correlation between these two groups 

 of micro-organisms does occur. That is to 

 say that butter of low yeast content will us- 

 ually be low in bacterial content when no 

 starter has been used, and butter of high 

 yeast content will in all probability be high 

 in bacterial content too. A similar, but pos- 

 sibly more marked correlation was found in 

 18 Dominion contest lots (May and June 

 entries, 1921), the counts obtained in the 

 nine June entries being given in Table VII. 



In Table VIII will be found examples of 

 mold and yeast counts from four Ontario 

 creameries, made during 1921, showing re- 

 sults which may be classed as poor, variable, 

 improving and good. Creameries such as A, 

 B and C may well ask themselves whether 

 everything in their plants is O.K. Creamery 

 C realized the need for action and got busy, 

 the result of their clean-up being plainly 

 visible in its effect on the yeast and mold 

 content of their butter in a comparatively 

 short time; Creamery D tied with another 

 creamery for the lowest series of counts ob- 

 tained during 1921. 



The significance of such large numbers 

 of living micro-organisms in Storch Test 

 negative butter, such as their relation to 

 general creamery sanitation, to efficiency of 

 pasteurization, to recontaminations, and par- 

 ticularly to butter flavor and keeping quality, 

 are matters of interest to creamery men, 

 butter graders and butter exporters as well 

 as to dairy scientists whose business it is to 

 find out the cause and effect of phenomena 

 such as these. 



While a good understanding has been ob- 

 tained of the first three of the above-named 

 relations, we have been unable up to the 

 present time to establish any definite and 

 consistent relation between numbers of micro- 

 organisms in butter and flavor and keeping 

 quality, although considerable data have been 

 secured along this line. Several theories may 

 be advanced to explain why no such relation 

 has yet been found. We admit that we have 

 only scratched the surface of this problem 

 as yet, as the time at our disposal has not 

 permitted a thorough and detailed study of 

 all the factors involved. 



Dr. G. L. McKay of the American Asso- 

 ciation of Creamery Butter Manufacturers, 

 one of the foremost butter experts on the 

 continent, in discussing this matter at the 



annual convention of the Canadian Cream- 

 erymen's Association of Ontario, held in To- 

 ronto December last, stated as follows : 



"We analyze thousands of samples of 

 butter, both chemically and bacteriologically. 

 Some of our best creameries keep their mold 

 and yeast count down to ten and below per 

 cubic centimeter of melted butter, while we 

 have dozens of others that the number of 

 molds and yeasts present in their butter 

 renders it countless. It has been found in 

 investigational work done by one of my 

 assistants that the butter containing a high 

 per cent, of molds and yeasts does not usually 

 possess good keeping qualities. 



The creameries that have a low count are 

 the creameries that exercise extra precaution 

 in endeavoring to sterilize everything that 

 comes in contact with milk and cream. These 

 are the creameries that are making good 

 butter. 



I don't personally think that the presence 

 of molds and yeasts in butter, as far as they 

 are concerned themselves, has a detrimental 

 effect on the butter. I am under the im- 

 pression that their presence in the butter, 

 in almost all cases, is an indication of filth 

 from insanitary conditions observed in the 

 creamery. Hence, butter of that character 

 will not keep well." 



HULLED AND UNHULLED 

 TIMOTHY SEED. 



To ascertain Avliether any injury results 

 from removing the hull from timothy seed, 

 the Division of Forage Plants of the Dom- 

 inion Experimental Farms planted plots, 

 side by side, one with timothy seed that 

 had been hulled, and the other with unhuU- 

 ed seed. The results obtained indicate, 

 that, while there is no material difference 

 in vitality between hulled and unhulled 

 seed Avhen sown a year after it has been 

 harvested, tlie liulled seed with- age loses 

 its vitality more (juickly than does the un- 

 liulled seed. Tliat it to say, unhulled seed 

 may be safely sown the second or even 

 the third year after it is grown, but 

 hulled seed should not be kept longer than 

 one year before planting. In 1920 the 

 hay crop from the unhulled seed of 1917 

 amounted to 2 tons, 840 pounds, while the 

 crop produced from tlie hulled seed 

 amounted to only one ton, 375 pounds. 



