Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-14
QUEER THINGS IN CREAM.
II Seems That Bacteria Are Present Even
I'm MIA for Babes.

IL Seems That Bacteria Are Present Even
In MIA for Babes.
Every one nowadays knows about bacteria, ["
said Q scientific man 10 a writer for the STAR
Few people, however, realize that those all
pervsding vegetable organisms are intimately
concerned in the manufacture Of that common
place edible known az butter. II is the custom
OF the butter maker to wait until his cream
has 'ripened,' Is he calls it. The change which
be refers to by this name is, microscopically
speaking, an important one. Ripened cream
contains immense numbers Of bacteria; more
than loo, 900 have been found in q single small
drop. Dairymen let their cream 'ripen' befor
churnins 1t, because their experience tells them
that the butter comes more readily, has
better flavor, and perhaps keeps better.
plausible explanation Of the first fact is that
the bacteria break up the albuminous matter
OF the fat globules, SO that these globules are
more easily separated from il and more easily
shaken together into large Jumps. The pro-
ducts OF decomposition possess a marked odor
and taste. and their presence in the cream
probably gives the special favor to butter that
Is considered desirable. Pure butter-fat has
no TASTE Whatever that is distinguishable.
IMPORTANT ORGANISMS.
1T IL only recently that those important or
ganisms called bacteria have been recognized
In their relation to life in this world. They are
found in immense number everywhere. being
divided according to their shape into three
kinds. One of these kinds is rod shaped and is
called bacillus on that account Another
takes the form Of n ball and is termed a micro
coccus' for that reason. The third is of cork
screw shape and is named. correspondingly, a
spiriilum With the highest powers OF the
microscope all OF them appear Is scarcely more
than simple dots and rods All decomposition
OF animal or vegetable matter is occasioned by
them; likewise fermentation. such raising OF
bread and the formation of vinegar. Vegetable
iife could not long continue without their aid:
on the other hand, cholera, scarlet fever typhoid
fever, consumption, hog cholera and many other
diseases are due to them.
bacteria collect in cream and milk that
have been exposed to the air, grow readily and
multiply rapidly. While growing in the milk
they cause II TO sour and curdle. Milk, as
drawn from the healthy COW, is free from BAG
term; but it cannot be kept free from them. for
they will get into il from the hands of the
mixer, from the teats of the COW, from the tins
or from the air with which the milk comes into
contact. temperature below freezing kills
the bacteria and puts stop to their multiple
cation. Likewise the heat of boiling destroys
them. Milk boiled for ten minutes on three
successive days is SO far sterilized that il the
vessel containing il be closed tightly it will re-
main sweet indefinitely.
THE NUMBER.
''The number Of bacteria present in milk de-
ponds chiefly upon the length of time that the
milk has been standing and upon the tempera-
ture. Estimates made as to milk under differ
ent conditions have shown from three hundred
millions to six hundred millions per quart of
bacteria. The effect Of temperature i have
discovered by experiment A specimen of milk
which had been standing for four DAYS IN a cold
place 1 found to contain about ten million bac-
terra per quart; the milk was allowed to stand
NvN n vUar e. =