370 
ment is employed in the manufacture of Edam cheese, which has the * 
power of rendering the milk slimy. The cheese made from such 
milk is said to ripen more ra 23 idly and more evenly than cheese made 
without the use of this j)articular organism. This peculiar change > 
in the consistency of milk has also been found to be due to bacteria 
and ordinarily, as it occasionally occurs in the dairy, is a source of j 
great trouble and annoyance. Many bacteria seem to have the power j 
of 2^roducing a slime in milk under suitable conditions. Ordinarily, 
however, this change is accom2)lished by one or two bacteria having > 
a wide distribution in nature. Of these B, lactis viscosiis (Adametz) i 
seems to be the commonest organism of the kind found in Euroj)e, 
and a similar organism, } 3 robably the same species, occurs in this 
country. It is a very hardy organism, and finds its way into the < 
milk through the water sujDply of the daily. From such a source the | 
infection may become widely diffused and difficult to trace. How- j 
ever, it is an infection which, no matter how troublesome, can be 
eradicated through cleanliness, although in certain instances it may 
be necessary to resort to disinfectants. Among other organisms jiro- 
ducing sliminess in milk may be mentioned Micrococcus freuden- 
reichii and two forms of strej)tococci, one the source of the slimy 
ferment in Holland, the latter 2>resent on the leaves of Pinguicula, 
the latter being em2)loyed in Xorway as the source of the ferment ; 
and as j^ointed out by Beyerinck sliminess in milk may be j)roduced 
by certain of the lactic-acid bacteria, es2)ecially by those growing at 
low temjDeratures. Slimy milk also results from a diseased condition 
of the mammary gland and is a common characteristic of garget. 
Xothing is known of the chemical nature of the substances causing 
the sliminess of milk. 
Bitter milk . — Freshly drawn milk has somethnes a bitter taste; in 
other instances it acquires such a taste on standing a few hours. 
The bitter taste of freshly drawn milk is sometimes due to the passage 
of bitter substances into the milk from the food of the cow, such as 
lu2)ines. It may also be j^roduced during the last stages of lactation. 
In those cases in which the bitter taste develops only after standing 
the cause thereof is to be sought in changes in the com2)osition of the 
milk due to the action of certain organisms. A considerable num- 
ber of organisms seem to possess the j^ower of j^roducing a bitter 
taste in milk; some of them after a short interval, others onH after 
a longer one. Only the former are of any i^ractical significance in 
the dairy, and among these may be mentioned a micrococcus, a cut 
of which is shown by Conn, and a bacillus described by lYeigmann, 
both of which have the power of ruining the taste of freshly drawn 
milk in a few hours. The source of these organisms is difficult to 
trace. In one case cited by Conn the organism giving rise to this 
abnormal fermentation was traced to the milk ducts of a single cow. • 
