ABSORPTION OF ODORS 69 



milked, poured or aerated in such a place. The odor of 

 tobacco is taken up by milk. Oil of turpentine, other 

 volatile oils and asafoetida may give an unpleasant odor 

 and taste to milk. In this respect some of the worst 

 substances are carbolic acid, cresol preparations (creo- 

 lin, lysol, etc.) and chlorine, when these materials are 

 used for disinfecting stables or dairies. The odor may 

 last in these places for several days and the milk will 

 take the abnormal taste just as long. A mixture of car- 

 bolic acid or cresol preparations (crude carbolic acid) 

 and chloride of lime has been used for the purpose of 

 making the disinfectant more effective. This is not to 

 be recommended, as trichlorphenol or trichlorcresol are 

 formed, compounds that have a more penetrating and 

 lasting " carbolic odor " than the separate materials. 

 Milk which is drawn in stables or kept in places which 

 are disinfected in this way is useless, sometimes for 

 weeks. 



St. Friis has given a good example of this : a large 

 dairy in Copenhagen was in a state of tumult because 

 some of the customers complained that the milk deliv- 

 ered tasted of carbolic acid. The next day the milk 

 from the farms was examined separately, and it was 

 found that all the milk, about 500 quarts, from a certain 

 herd of 50 cows, smelled and tasted so strongly of car- 

 bolic acid that it was declared unfit for use as food. So 

 this milk was churned, as it was also the following 

 days ; but the butter had the same taint and was almost 

 worthless. Not till the fifth day was the milk so 

 free from taint that it could be used. This is the 

 explanation of the origin of the trouble: the stable on 

 the farm in question was cleaned and disinfected with 

 a 2 per cent, solution of carbolic acid to which was 

 added a small quantity of chloride of lime. The stable 

 was aired for two days before it was used again, 



