THE MICROBE OF CHEESE 99 



pay you. " Haste makes waste." The green bald- 

 win is unfit to eat. Your green cheese is an im- 

 position upon the consumer. Put it not upon the 

 table until it is ripe. Let your invisible friends 

 put in their best work. It will give you the best 

 results. The last strokes of the polishing machine 

 bring out the finest qualities of the diamond. The 

 final work of the microbes brings out the best qual- 

 ities of the cheese. Let them do it. It will please 

 the public. Your bank account will then be at its 

 best. 



Still, at its best, mishaps may come. Occasion- 

 ally the ripe cheese may be unsavory. What's the 

 matter? The same thing which sometimes hap- 

 pens in butter-making. With certain atmospheric 

 conditions greater numbers of microbes are gen- 

 erated which are enemies to the cheese-maker. 

 They come into the milk in greater numbers. In 

 the cheese they do more to control its ripening. 

 In their life processes they generate certain acids 

 which give to the cheese its unwelcome taste. 



At times, too, though less frequent, the cheese 

 may be decidedly poisonous. It gives sickness to 

 the consumer, and some fatalities. 



For all such mishaps, in the present state of 

 knowledge, there seems to be one remedy, and one 

 only. Isolate the true cheese microbe. It is easily 

 done. With it make a pure culture. With the cul- 

 ture make a true cheese yeast. Keep this yeast 

 on hand. As soon as the milk comes from the 

 cows heat it to 165 degrees. This kills all bad mi- 



