128 DAIRY CHEMISTRY 



cheese making purposes. These coarse fodders, when 

 prepared under the most favorable conditions, pro- 

 duce mediumly firm butter in contrast to the hard 

 and tallow-like butter produced from overripe hay 

 containing a large amount of fiber and but little pro- 

 tein. Silage has been found to be of much value in 

 a ration, as it produces a better quality of butter 

 than average coarse fodders. It has been objected 

 to by some because of the silage odor of the milk. It 

 has been found that this is due largely to lack of 

 proper ventilation in the stable, as the silage odor 

 gains access mainly at the time of milking rather than 

 being transmitted through the milk. When animals 

 are kept under the most sanitary conditions and 

 silage forms only a part of the ration, there is no 

 perceptible odor to the milk and it is of good 

 quality. As previously stated (section 75), some 

 food stuffs, as turnips, rape, and onions, affect the 

 flavor of the milk. This is due to the volatile and 

 essential oils passing directly from the food into the 

 milk. There are weeds that are also responsible for 

 bad-tasting milk, as the wild garlic, which produces a 

 foul taste. 



119. Desirable Flavors in Milk Products. The 

 desirable flavors in butter, cheese, and other dairy 

 products are due to the small amount of chemical 

 compounds formed by the workings of the bacterial 

 ferments and the enzymes. As a result of fermen- 

 tation action, definite chemical compounds, some of 

 which have pleasant and desirable properties and 



