FERMENTED MILKS. 



19 



for that a combination of an acid and an alcoholic fermentation is 

 favored and the necessary bacteria and yeast are soon established. 

 No doubt the change in the milk is produced under different circum- 

 stances by different combinations of bacteria and yeast, and there 

 are usually present various contaminating organisms which are detri- 

 mental or at least are not essential to the production of the kumiss. 

 Native kumiss makers lay great stress on the quality of the milk, the 

 breed of the mares, and the condition of the pastures ; but it is prob- 

 able that their troubles ascribed to variations in these conditions are 

 more likely attributable to imperfectly controlled bacteriological 

 factors. 



There was at one time much interest in kumiss as a therapeutic 

 agent in the treatment of tuberculosis, and sanatoria were established 

 in Russia where invalids could get this treatment. It is probable 

 that the benefits, real or imaginary, derived from it came more from 

 the general methods, which correspond somewhat to present prac- 

 tices, than from the action of kumiss. 



Mare's milk is lower in nutritive value than cow's milk, as the fol- 

 lowing table, taken from Richmond's Dairy Chemistry, shows : 



Average composition of cow's milk and mare's milk. 





Water. 



Fat. 



Sugar. 



Casein. 



Albu- 

 min. 



Ash. 





Per cent. 

 87.10 

 90.06 



Per cent. 

 3.90 

 1.09 



Per cent. 

 4.75 

 6.65 



Per cent. 



3.00 



1. 



Per cent. 

 0.40 

 89 



Per cent. 

 0.75 



Mare 



.31 











The composition of kumiss varies somewhat with the age, the 

 rapidity of the fermentation, and the nature and extent of contami- 

 nation with extraneous organisms. The following analysis is taken 

 from Richmond's Dairy Chemistry (p. 241) : 



Composition of kumiss made from mare's milk. 





1 day 

 old. 



8 days 

 old. 



22 days 

 old. 



Water 



Per cent. 

 91.43 



2.67 

 .77 



1.63 

 .77 

 .25 

 .98 



1.16 

 .35 



Per cent. 



92.12 



2.93 



1.08 



.50 



.85 



.27 



.76 



1.12 



.35 



Per cent. 

 92.07 





2.98 





1 27 





23 



Casein 



.83 



Albumin 



.24 



A lbumose 



.77 



Fat 



1.30 



Ash 



.35 







It will be observed that this fermentation produces no changes that 

 could be expected to increase appreciably the digestibility of the 



