Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-09-06
The Butter Bacillus.

Pro. Conn's "B 4I"---How Il Was Dis
cOvere d--HOw IL WOrks--An Interest,"
ing Bit OF Reading for Butter Makers.
The New York Tribune prints an inter
esting article giving additional information
about the discovery by Prof Herbert W.
Conn of Wesleyan University, Middletown,
Conn, of bacillus which, when used to
impregnate fresh cream at any season of
the year, increases its richness and imparts
to it the flavor and aroma of June butter
Professor Conn, it appears, is a biological
student of careful training. For eleven
years he has been professor of that science
at Wesleyan, and for five years has had
charge of the biological laboratory of the
Brooklyn Institute at Cold Spring, L. |.
For seven years he has been studying the
bacteriology of milk, and in this direction
has probably become more expect than
any other man in this country or Europe.
For several years during his experiments
Prof Conn had vague idea of finding
bacterum that would improve the quality
of butter, but the discovery at last was an
accident.
During the summer of 1898 DR.. Conn
was pursuing his investigation of the bac-
terra of milk at Chicago in connection
with the Worlds Fair. At the same time
Professor w. o. Atwater, one of DR..
Conn's associates in the faculty at Middle
town, Conn, was there making researches
regarding foods. To Professor Atwater
came can of milk from Uruguay. Pre-
sumably it had been sterilized before be-
ing shipped and it had been weeks on its
way to Chicago. 1t was noticed by those
who handled it that the can was swelled,
and it was at once suspected that the steril-
izaton had not been absolute. When
opened the milk was found to have pc
culiarly bitter taste, and Professor Atwater
thought it would be good thing to turn
it over to DR.. Conn and let him find out
whether there was anything interesting in
it.
To his great surprise, in this milk, which
had travelled nearly half way round the
globe, DIR. Conn discovered the very thing
for which he had been oil the lookout. The
bacillus which it contained, when added to
milk, was found to produce a peculiar eff
feet, sweetening and enriching it, and the
effect upon butter made from cream so
treated was especially good. The flavor
of the butter was increased and its quality
decidedly improved. DR.. Conn was natur-
ally greatly gratited with the results at
tanned, but, in the true scientific spirit, he
continued his experiments for months in
order to prove that the effects were uni
form and that the culture could be depend
ed on in every case. These experiments
were conducted at a creamery near his
home in Connecticut.
Previous to the treatment of the Uruguay
milk he had identified forty different bacilli
| found in milk, each of which had been
designated by number. The new arrival
was consequently dubbed No. Al, and it is
by the name "Conns b H. that it has
come to fame.
The culture, when ready to be sent to
creamery is made up into what is termed
"pellet," something over an inch in length
and with diameter of about one-third CT
an inch. 1t is nearly white in appearance,
but in time will become inert, and turns
brown. The pellet is inclosed in glass
tube three inches long and half an inch in
diameter. Both ends of the tube are open.
The tube is, of course, sterilized, and the
pellet is kept in place, first by means of
sterilized cotton, and then by tight-ftting
plugs of cork, which have also been put
through sterilizing process. The tubes
containing the pellets are placed in wooden
boxes made especially for the purpose. The
culture can thus be sent through the mails
with ease.
WIN eacn peleI senI OUT goes circular
giving careful directions as to the use of
the culture. After being applied to the
cream, the effects are noticeable in the first
churning, but it requires several days to
get it up to its full strength; after that it
is easy to keep it at a high and uniform
standard, though, as has been said, in
practice it has been found advisable to
make a fresh inoculation three or four
| times a month This does not mean be-
ginning the process over again each time,
but simply maintaining it at proper de-
gree of efficiency by renewed applications
of "B Al" The cost to creameries using
the culture is 50 month. Speaking in
general terms, butter made from cream
treated with the bacillus brings two cents
a pound more in the market than buttel
not so treated.