CLEANLINESS IN BUTTER AND CHEESE FACTORIES. Ill 



and others it has been proved that the frequently appear- 

 ing black dirt under the finger nails contains a large num- 

 ber of different kinds of bacteria. The heat and moisture 

 found there are very favorable to the growth of micro- 

 organisms; they are highly fit to become brooding places 

 for all kinds of bacteria. Bremer has even shown the 

 presence of tubercle bacilli in the dirt under finger nails, 

 and putrefactive bacteria may easily be found in it. 



The Cause of the " Factory Odor." Leaving the factory- 

 workers and turning our attention to the factory itself, it 

 must first of all be stated that in most of them (in almost 

 all older ones) the atmosphere met with is far from pure 

 and sweet. It is heavy and moist, mixed with a character- 

 istic odor which reminds one partly of sourness, partly of 

 musty, rotting wood. This specific creamery (and cheese 

 factory) odor is a nuisance in most factories. If we look 

 around at the floors, ceilings, walls, and utensils we are not 

 in most cases at a loss to ascertain the cause of this condi- 

 tion. Fermentation hotbeds without number may usually 

 be found, and large colonies of moulds may be seen, as well 

 as thick dirt-spots on walls and ceiling, and bad-smelling 

 pools on the floor; in many cases the drain-gutter also 

 spreads an offensive odor. Where such bad conditions 

 are not present, there are others, more hidden ones, giving 

 rise to the foul atmosphere. It is only necessary to ex- 

 amine the corners of the rooms, cracks in the floor and 

 wall, crooks and crevices of staircases and thresholds, and 

 the explanation of the bad condition of affairs will doubt- 

 less be found there. 



The Use of Water in the Creamery. A characteristic 

 feature of modern creameries is the superfluity of water 

 used in them; it is ? e.g., considered proper at any time to 



