ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 223 



tion of our dairymen, our buttermakers were advised to use the culture 

 without previously pastuerizing the cream. This of course is an illogical 

 method, since the cream is already filled with bacteria, and the 

 addition of a new culture could therefore hardly be supposed to 

 give entirely satisfactory results. With this change in the method 

 of use of pure culture our buttermakers were willing to try 

 them, and in a short time American buttermakers learned of their mean- 

 ing and experimented with them quite widely. Owing to the method by 

 which the subject was first brought to the attention of American dairy- 

 men, our buttermakers were led to expect too much from the use of such 

 cultures in the ripening of cream, and they were naturally disappointed 

 in the results. As a consequence the use of commercial cultures has de- 

 clined in the last three years rather than advanced. But one thing has 

 resulted from the attempt to introduce the use of pure cultures for 

 cream ripening to American dairymen. Nearly all buttermakers, at least 

 all who have a pride in the quality of their product, have learned of the 

 absolute necessity of a greater attention to the process of cream ripen- 

 ing, and nearly all have adopted such means as are easily within their 

 power for controlling this ripening. 



RESULT OF THE USE OF PURE CULTURES. 



In attempting to consider the results of the use of pure culture for 

 cream ripening, we must first notice that in this country these results do 

 not appear to be exactly in harmony with those obtained in Europe, and 

 if our experiments are compared with those in European creameries, 

 quite different conclusions will be reached. The reasons for this are two- 

 fold. First, it is evident to anyone who has traveled in Europe that the 

 taste of Europeans differs from that of Americans, and the peculiar qual- 

 ity which is there regarded as characteristic of the best butter is not such 

 as is desired here. It is quite certain that the highest quality of American 

 butter would not be regarded in Europe as equal to the highest quality of 

 European butter, and vice versa. The matter of flavor and aroma is purely 

 a question of taste, and if a different product is required in this country 



