Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-11-23

Switzerland {Troyon). 1t is referred to
frequently in the books of the Old Tes,
lament, and the writings of Homer
The common drink of the Scythians
in the time of He-odotus, was the milk
of mares, and Hippocrates describes
their process of making butter. From
what Pliny writes, it is quite certain
that, in his time, butter was little used
by the Romans, and Aristotle, although
particular in his account of cheese
does not allude to butter in any of his
writings.
The milk of each species of animal
has its peculi s-ities, but that of the
COW is the most universally used by the
human family. We shall hence treat
of the cows milk as the typical m ilk,
and, from the COW, branch off to the
other animals.
Milk is always white, opaque fluid.
| Upon standing, it separates into two
portions, cream and skim milk.
Upon further standing, the skim-milk
separates into curd land whey. If al
lowed to stand longer exposed to the
air, the sugar Of the milk becomes de-
com posed, and, in time, a Tactic, an
alcoholic, and putrefactive fermen-
tation takes place, and an offensive
odor is evolved; the surface of the
cream nourishes fungoid growth, the
blue mould. Ultimately, all the water
is evaporates, the organic matter dis
appears through decomposition, and
small quantity of ash, or mineral mat
ter, remains. A chemical analysis of
milk shows the presence OF the butter,
composed of various elementary fats;
the nitrogenized matter, which includes
albumen and casein; sugar of milk and
the ash elements, all being in solution
or emulsion with water. Milk has also
| been found to contain certain volatile
oils and gases, and, occasionally, va
rious organic forms of low organization.
Thus, J. Fuchs and Bailleul ascribe
the production of a change in milk,
called "blue MILK" wherever the
freshly drawn milk, being white, &C.
quires peculiar blue shade of color
on the formation of the cream, to the
presence of vibriones, or a byssus. In
1871, Prof. James Law, of Cornell Uni
versity, furnishes an account of the
passage of fungi spores through the
blood of the animals, and their appear
ance in the milk.
If milk be brought under observa-
ton, through the use Of the microscope,
its color is found to he dependent upon
the presence of innumerable globules
of fat, which are in suspension through
out its mass, and which, being of less
specific gravity than the serum in which
they float, have q tendency 10 ever
rise towards the surface, where they
constitute the cream layer. There glo-
bules constitute the form element
of the milk, and are to be carefully
studied, as giving character to the fluid
known as milk, as we'll as most strong
~ influencing the uses of milk.
We have in milk morphology and
chemistry. Until our studies on the
structural qualities of milk, first brought
to notice in an address printed in the
fifth report of the Vermont DaiIyman's
Association, and afterwards elaborated
with studious care in various other
publications, the chemical aspects of
milk alone received attention; and as
this method offered but partial view
of the subject, it was incapable of ex-
planning the varying of phenomena
noted by experience as continually oc-
curing. Hence the methods of hand
ling milk were empirical; the explana-
tons of phenomena oftentime s vision
airy; confusion in assigning effects to
their appropriate causes which was
lamentable. Even in our physiological
chemistries, and in the writings Of
recognized scientific men, from over
looking the connection between physi-
ology aud product, through the pre-
dominance of the methods of chemi-
cal research, so satisfactory in their
cumulative expression, we find confus-
ed statements and records of fact, the
connection of which is neither shown
nor understood. The only way to study
milk is from physiological and chemical
al standpoints, in their mutual relations,
and from their combined reactions with
the conditions under which our milk is
formed and used.
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