Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-09-12
Some FaIIacies In Dairying.

achieved in the deep setting and rapid cool
ing of milk in covered vessels would put an
end to the theory so long in vogue, and so in
dustriously promulgated by a class of pseudo
scientists in galactology in regard to the
"auimal odor." After so many "profess-
ors " have been busy for years in impressing
us with the impossibility of making good
butter without "aerating the milk by the
aid of some patent device, or by spreading
it out in a thin sheet and cooling it slowly,
so that the animal odor should escape-after
all this, it was rather a sumner to find
Douglas, Hardin and Cooley making the
best of gilt-edged butter right along, in ut
ter disregard of their fine-spun theory.
We confess to much surprise in finding
this animal odor theory restated in all its de-
tails in the September issue Of the american
AgicuitWisi, a periodical usually quite re-
liable in its science. The Agricuitwia is
very specific 1t asserts that 1t is known
that milk, as it comes from the COW, is i'm
pregnated with volatile matter which has a
peculiar odor not disagreeable when it is
weak, but when it is concentrated it is very
strong and exceedingly unpleasant. This,
which usually exists as a vapor or gas, by
concentration appears as yellowish oil,
which has very disagreeable properties. 1t
gives an obnoxious odor to the cream and
butter, and has the effect of producing rapid
decomposition in them, as well as in curd
and cheese"
This "vapor," that by concentration APP
pears as ga yelowish OIL we have heard
much of in times past, but we never saw
any, nor have we ever seen anybody who
ever saw any of it extracted from milk. 1t
has never been exhibited by any lecturer
who made it the subject of learned discourse
In fact it is "a myth, and the Agricuiturisf,
account of it reminds us of an old lady in
Indiana, who once undertook to tell us how
quack doctor cured her of intermittent
fever, or " fever and ague," as it is called
{" lie gave me some lobelly," said she, "and
puked the agy right up, and it looked fol
all the world like the white of an egg"
But the Agricuiturist writer has heard OF
Hardin and Cooley, and he tries to get
around their facts by the astonishing asser
ton that "by exposing the milk to low
temperature this substance is removed" II
is the first time that we ever heard that al
offensive OIL volatile or other, could be re
moved from fluid in closed metallic vessel,
by submitting it to low temperature. We
should suppose that to be the very best way
to retain every particle of it. Supposnl
the actual existence of such substance il
fresh milk, the plan of removal by aeratnl
and slow cooling was philosophic and rea
sonable But this attempt to maintain
mistaken notion by asserting that an often
sive gas or oil can also be removed by tigh
-eaing and sudden cooling, is "too thin
Better give it up, and accept the rationa
conclusion against which there is no contra
vening fact, that pure milk Though it con
contains some volatile flavoring matter of al
agreeable character) has no such offensive
and putrefactive constituent as this vel
lowish oil" The simple fact at the bottom
of all this foolishness is that the socale,
animal odor Il" is the odor of filthy stables
and of the dung and other filth introduc q
into the milk by nasty mixers. Pure mill
from healthy COWS Possesses none of it,
Another falacy in relation to the whit,
specks " in butter. Deep settlers never Sc
these white specks. Those who are mos
troubled with them use the small pan.
Generally they consist of dried cream, to-
tenacious to be acted upon in the churr
This has been repeatedly proved by analyst
OF specimens from various quarters. Occa
sionally they are dried curd or clabbel
White Streaks are caused by uneven sailing
The grain of butter, what it is, how it i
preserved and how destroyed, is very littl
understood. When butter first becomes vi.
ible IN churned cream, it appears as sma
rounded grains, consisting of an aggregation
of the invisible butter globules of the milk
Under proper conditions of temperature an
handling, these grains are preserved in tn
butter, the little cavities between them be
ing filled with the serum of the milk, or wit
water which has taken its place in the process
OF washing. This interstitial fluid is col
verted into brine by sailing Melting tn
butter will cause separation between thi
fluid and the fat of the butter, and the grain /
thus destroyed. A similar effect, in greater @
less degree, is produced by handling butte
when it is too warm and soft, or by any rul
bling action which tends to force the grain
together and exclude the nterstitial fluid.
But perhaps the greatest fallacy prevaer
in dairy science " is the belief that ever
minute globule of butter in milk is enve
oped in little bag OF albuminous matte
This is taught everywhere, and is the origi
OF many devices (some patented) to brea
open these sacks aud allow the butter
"come.' 1t is all as untrue and absurd a
the "animal odor theory. Sixteen yeal
ago we satisfied oursef OH this point b
months of laborious experiment and micr
scopie investigation, The fat globule of tn
milk swims absolutely naked in the serul
of that fluid. The process of manufactu
ing butter is simply process of bringin
phcoo IaipiSi'o III bN agitation.
the cream or milk is in proper physics
condition, aud at the right Temperature
they will speedily cohere, and the butte
will "come." If there is much clabbt
mixed with the cream it will be slow
coming, even at the right temperature.
it is too cold the particles will not stick I,
gether, no matter how much they are dashe
against each other in the churn. If it
too warm, every second stroke of the dash,
undoes the work of the first. In this ca.
the globules unite and are separated contil
ually, and if the agitation is prolonged /
such high temperature, and then, by the u.
of ice, or otherwise, the cream is cooled 1
that the particles will retain their adhesio
to each other, the butter comes in sponp
or salvy state, being incurably ruined /
long churning while too warm.
The best psychologists now all agree as
the fact of the butter globule being make