The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1854-07-26
AGRICULTURAL.
Practical Hints about keeping Milk
from Souring.

Milk is a compound substance, made
up of a mixture Of oil, (bulter,) sugar, ca.
seine (curL and water. If allowed to
stand still, the oily matter will rise to the
top in the form OF cream. There is a
lit e free alkali (soda1 in the water OF
all sweet milk, and without this soda the
water will not have the power to keep the
caseine or curd dissolved. The sugar of
milk is alsn dissolved in the water. 1.-THE
sugar can get access to air, it is constantly
inclined to change to an acid, (lactic acid,
just rs sweetcned water changes to vine
gar when exposed to air, and we can
see just why milk curdles, and how it may
be kept sweet.
We all know that acids destroy or neu-
tra!ize the effects Of alkalies, (such as So
da, potash, lime, &c.) AS before stated.
when the milk is new, there is some tree
soda in ii, but when some acid is formed
fom the milk sugar, this acid neutralizes
the soda, and the water without the So
dt cannot dissolve the caseinc, hut it sep
arates into mass Of curd. More sugar
turns to more acid, and in time the whole
becomes quite sour. Now there are two
ways of preventing this souring. The
first is:
Keep the air opdy trona the milk as
much All possible. We cannot very well
keep the milk covered alright, but the
oil or cream which rises to the TOP forms
a very good cover 1h is kept uaJroks,..
II, then, it is desired to keep the milk
some length of time, great care should be
taken TO keep it still, and preserve the
cream undisturbed. Those who get milk
but once a day, should divide it into sew
eral portions, each portion to be kept un-
disturbed til! it is wanted for use. The
second method is:
Put into neo milk little ertra soda TO
neutralize The acid as fast as IL is. formed.
A bit Of soda, say the bulk Of marrow
fat pea, to quart Of milk, will not injure
its taste or quality, while it will often keep
1t sweet for day or more longer than
without it. We have often taken milk
already beginning to sour and curde, and
by stirring in well little soda and boil
ing it, have re dissolved the curd, and
rendered the milk as sweet and good as
when first drawn from the COW. We
know that sweetened water will turn more
rapidly to, vinegar (acetic acid,) if it is
kept warm. Just SO the sugar of milk
turns TO acid (actic) sooner if ket warm !;
and on this account the cooler milk is
kept, the longer it will remain sweet.
IL is well known that heavy thunder
storm will often rel der milk speedily sour.
This may be effected in two ways: the
agitation Of thunder clap may introduce
more air into the milk, and the great
amount Of electricity passing through the
milk may hasten the change Of the sugar
to acid. We have heard it suggested
with how much truth we cannot say,
though there is some pIausibility in the
statement---that milk is less likely to be
affected by thunder it il is kept in glazed
esrthenware instead Of metal vessels, like
tin pans and also that it will, at such
time, keep better Il the vessels are placed
upon dry wooden benches or shelves,
away from the walls, than il set upon the
bottom OF the cellar or milk.voom. This
reason assigned is, that the dry benches
or shelves act rs non-conductoFs, and pre-.
vent electricity from going through the
milk in its passage from the clouds TO the
earth.
The most important thing in the car,
Of milk, however, is 70 leave il undisturb