Sept., 1909.] X STUDY OP FARM BUTTER-MAKING. 259 



to realize that the essential quality of the butter, the flavor, had 

 been determined before churning was begun. 



In many instances the flavor of the butter is determined in the 

 barn by the proportion of the desirable and undesirable bacteria 

 introduced into the milk during the milking. This is especially 

 true of farm butter, the greater part of which is ripened without 

 a starter. The milker, the stable, the cow, the stable air and 

 flies are some of the greatest sources of milk contamination. 

 Experiments show* a man working around the farm in the after- 

 noon washed from his hands before milking 45,000,000 bacteria, 

 yet many farmers do not think of washing their hands before 

 starting to milk. One single hair from a cow has been known 

 to have clinging to it several hundred bacteria. At certain sea- 

 sons of the year it is very difficult to prevent a few hairs from 

 falling into the milk. The number of bacteria on a single fly 

 may range from 550 to 6,600,000. The stable air may not only 

 be teeming with bacteria but may be saturated with odors from 

 manure, cows and feed stuffs. If precautions are not taken to 

 prevent contamination from these sources a great many bacteria 

 necessarily get into the milk, a proportionate number of which 

 will get into the cream. Although many bacteria which get into 

 the milk are not detrimental, and some are beneficial to bring 

 about the desired souring of the cream, by far the larger propor- 

 tion of those associated with uncleanliness and those from the 

 manure are very detrimental to the production of desirable butter 

 flavors. As milk absorbs odors very readily, unclean stables with 

 foul air also tend to produce undesirable flavors and odors in 

 the milk. Such flavors, whether they come from bacterial action, 

 from impurity falling directly into the milk, or from absorption, 

 will be carried into the butter in spite of the most scrupulous 

 cleanliness and care in the making. 



To produce butter with a clean, desirable flavor it is therefore 

 necessary not only to exercise cleanliness during the manufac- 

 ture, but it is fully as essential to have the raw material, the milk 

 and the cream, produced under cleanly conditions which means 

 clean, well ventilated barns, free from contaminating surround- 

 ings, clean,. well-groomed cows, and clean utensils. 



*Storrs Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. No. 51. 



