ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 65 



ilized before the starter is put into them. They should never he 

 exposed in places where dust or bacteria of any kind will have 

 a chance to lodge in them. In fact the value of sterilization 

 immediately before use cannot be too fully realized, and the much 

 condemnable habit of wiping the cans with a cloth afterwards, 

 though the cloth is seemingly clean, should never be practiced. 

 Neither should the inside of the A^essels be touched by the hands, 

 although they may seem clean, nor should cold water be poured 

 into them for cooling purposes, but always applied on the outside. 

 It is necessary that the man handling starters should wear clean 

 clothes, so that dust or other foreign matter will not drop into 

 them while being propagated. Many times can be seen the prac- 

 tice of dipping unsterilized vessels into the milk after it has been 

 pasteurized, or a finger will be stuck in for a quick estimate of 

 the temperature, thus inserting undesirable germs and defeating 

 the object sought. 



Great is the study of dairy bacteriology and although much 

 is known at the present about the different kinds of bacteria, and 

 the part they play in milk production, there is much yet to be dis- 

 covered and worked out by the bacteriologist. Several good 

 books have been written which are of immense value to creamery- 

 men, and it is recommended that every buttermaker secure some 

 of those books and thoroughly familiarize himself with the facts 

 they contain. They are written by the leading authorities on the 

 subject, and are not only of value for the better understanding 

 of the theoretical part, but they give practical suggestions on the 

 methods used by the most experienced men who have made large 

 quantities of good butter under different conditions. From them 

 can be learned the process of ripening cream; the effect of the 

 different degrees of acidity upon the finished product; the germ 

 desired ; the benefit from it, and the change that takes place from 

 its work and from the action of its products upon the different 

 constituents of the cream. 



It is a problem that should be fully understood by the butter- 

 maker so that, if conditions permit, the desired grade of butter 



