New YorK AGRICULTURAL ExpPERiMENT STATION. 33 
INVESTIGATIONS. 
WORK AND RESULTS “AT FACTORY NUMBER ONE. 
Factory Number One is a large one in the northern part of the 
State and has long had an enviable reputation for turning out a 
fine product. The building, though an old one, is in good repair 
and its location, while high and dry, is on a level area not afford- 
ing good natural drainage. It produces a variety of cheese, both 
colored and uncolored, but makes a specialty of a small-sized 
cheese for home trade. 
The first outbreak of rusty spot occurred in the autumn of 1900 
after receiving patronage from a neighboring infected factory. 
The trouble was not discovered until a large stock of cheese had 
been accumulated for the winter trade and the financial loss was 
correspondingly heavy. During the winter the question was put 
to us very forcibly: ‘‘ What shall we do to stop the trouble? The 
financial loss is more than we can stand and our business will be 
ruined if the rusty spots can not be controlled.” 
Although every thing about the factory seemed in good order 
we recommended as a preliminary step the thorough cleaning of 
the factory and the whitewashing of the inside walls. This was 
done. Early in May the spots again appeared in the cheese, 
showing that the cleaning had not. removed the trouble. We 
then discussed the advisability of using formalin to complete the 
disinfection. The work of Connell had laid stress upon the dan- 
ger of contaminating the curd through the air. The advantage 
of formalin lay in its ability to disinfect the walls, ceilings and 
floor as well as the tools and thus decrease the probability of 
germs being carried to the curd. However the cost of the 
amount of formalin necessary for a single treatment of the 
factory was found to be oven ten dollars. Added to this was the 
difficulty of making the room sufficiently tight to hold the gas for 
the required length of time. On account of the work and expense 
involved as contrasted with the simplicity and effectiveness of 
the steaming process, later to be described, we abandoned the 
idea of using formalin. 
On May 14, in addition to the ordinary cleaning of the tools, 
the curd mill was submerged in hot water for an hour. When the 
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