The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-09
Nitrogen drawn from
Bacteria in MIX and It's Products.


The following is a summary of bulletin
on this subjuct from the Storrs Shcool Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station, Connecti-
cut:
l. Bacteria or microbes, as they are often
called, abound in air, water and soil, in an
lmal and We etable substances, and in living
plants and animals. They are extremely
minute and multiply with wonde rful rapid
lty wherever the circumstances are favor
able. Cold hinders their development.
When heated long enough at the tempera-
ture of boiling water, they are killed, but
their spores, which correspond to seeds, will
endure even this temperature for some time,
though higher heat kills them speedily.
z Bacteria grows with the greatest read
mess in milk and cream. Hence they collect
in milk aud cream exposed to the air, and
multiply rapidly. Indeveloping they cause
the milk to sour and curdle and induce
other changes in it. They also favor the
ripening Of cream.
3. Vessels in which milk and cream are
to be kept are a great source of contamina-
ton by bacteria. The latter gather upon
the sides and in the joints, and develop in
the minute portions OF milk, grease or other
matters from which it is difficult to free the
walls of the vessels completely by washing.
4. A large number of different species of
bacteria are found in milk and cream.
Different species have different effects.
Most of them sour and curdle milk at some
temperature. A few induce changes that
render milk alkaline without the formation
of curd. When a curd is formed, it differs
in character with different species Of bac-
terra. The souring of milk is more complex
than has been supposed; and while without
much doubt souring always depends upon
the action of bacteria, any one of num-
Der of species, or several combined, may be
the cause.
5. The longer a specimen of milk has
been exposed to the action of bacteria,
other things being equal, the greater will
be the number of bacteria present. Hence
it follows that cream will usually contain
very large number. The presence of these
organisms, SO far from being injurious, Is
of positive advantage to the butter ma ker,
since it is by their action that cream is
''ripened"
6. The ripening of cream appears to be
even more complex than the souring OF
milk. While the ripening of cream is ua-
doubtedly dependent upon the presence of
bacteria, it is doubtful whether one species
can produce what is known as ripeae1
cream. Dairymen let their cream ripen
before churning because their experience
implies that the butter separates (''comes'0
more readily, keeps better and is of better
flavor. A plausible explanation is that the
bacteria breaks up the albuminOus matter
which incloses the particles of butter fat, so
that the butter is more readily separated
from it, and when made contains less of it.
Since this albuminous matter affords sup
port for bacteria, which cause butter to
become rancid, it is natural to suppose that
butter will keep the better the less it con-
tains
Z. Two important points in the handling
of milk and cream are brought out by these
considerations:
l. The Importance of keeping milk so far
as possible, free from bacteria aud at a low
temperature, in order that the cream may
all separate bafore the milk sours.
2. The advantage of keeping cream under
circumstances favorable to the growth of
the bacteria that induce ripening.
s. In brlof, vessels in which milk is to be
kept for Dreaming or sfor transport should
be most carefully cleansed before the milk
is put in them. AS cold retards and heat,
up to certain limits, favors the growth of
bacteria, the advantage of keeping milk
cold and cream warm is easily explained.