CHAPTER IV 



CARE OF MILK AND CREAM 



The making of butter does not begin with the churn- 

 ing process, but as soon as the milk leaves the udder. 

 It is impossible to make fancy butter from a poor raw 

 product because of the presence of certain bacteria and 

 the by-products of their growth. 



28. Bacteria and how carried. — In the manufacture 

 of butter, micro-organisms play such an important part 

 that the question may well be asked : What are bacteria 

 and how do they move from one place to another? 

 Bacteria are the lowest or the simplest forms of plant life. 

 They do not fly or crawl as insects, but are transported by 

 attaching themselves to objects that are moved in different 

 ways from one position to another ; as, for example, they 

 may lodge on particles of dust, feed, bedding, hairs, flies, 

 cobwebs, dairy utensils and the milker. Some of these ob- 

 jects are carried by the wind, or by undue circulation of air. 

 Some may drop from a near-by surface. Water may carry 

 them. There are. many ways by which bacteria may be 

 carried into milk and other dairy products. In dairy work, 

 it is important to eliminate these carriers. This may be 

 accomplished by simple and inexpensive methods. 



METHODS OF KEEPING BACTERIA OUT OF MILK 



29. The air of the barn. — The ceiling of the barn 

 should be so constructed that nothing will sift through 



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