212 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



The work initiated by Pasteur, and the first work of the kind done, 

 was that which was destined to promote industries. We are all ac- 

 quainted with Pasteur's fight against disease as represented by the silk 

 worm disease, rabies, anthrax,, all of which yielded a thonsand-fold 

 reward for his efforts and cost of experiments. Whether we look for 

 instance at the disease of the silk worm, at anthrax, which attacks cattle, 

 sheep and other domestic animals, to his studies of vinegar, of wine or of 

 i mailers not, for we find wherever his touch occurred there follow- 

 ed results which redounded to the benefit of mankind. 



I am especially anxious to call your attention to a brief resume of 

 the last, beer fermentations or the development of breweries, not that I 

 commend the product, but that this resume may give you ideas and a 

 working basis. It is a history which ought to yield many useful lessons 

 to dairymen. Pasteur found that frequently diseases occurred in beer 

 which would cause thousands of dollars loss to the manufacturers. These 

 diseases would creep in stealthily and before the manufacturer could 

 check them, his whole product would be a total loss. Pasteur was able 

 to overcome a few of these diseases by pointing out some of the causes 

 and counteracting them by rational and scientific methods. However 

 much Pasteur may have done to help out the manufacturers of beer by his 

 various ingenious devices and thus saving millions for France, it was not 

 until Hansen came upon the scene and demonstrated in great detail the 

 possibilities of diseases in beer as w r ell as the possibilities of producing 

 a product as was desired, a product resulting from absolute control, from 

 an absolute knowledge of the fermentation, and an absolute purity of the 

 yeast plant, the agent of this fermentation. Being able to isolate the 

 yeast plant in its pure form, he was able to introduce it into the work, thus 

 producing the correct and desired fermentations of beer and was further 

 able, and it seems to me that this is the most important feature, to elimi- 

 nate all unhealthful or off fermentations or diseases to which beer is heir. 



To learn from Hansen of his struggles with the proprietor of the Carls- 

 berg brewery, of his efforts to persuade this proprietor to undertake some 

 of the ideas he had fully demonstrated in the laboratory, is only to con- 

 vince oneself of the slowness with which scientific knowledge usually 

 permeates the practical mind of the practical man. The proprietor finally 

 permitted him to try in a small way some of his experiments in his 



