Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-07-21

so called. for q quantity OF cream large
enough to make perhaps a ton OF but
teri IN other words, the mix starter
is q sort of a nursery from which lhe
micfoscopicgba bacteria may be transplant
ed to the cream without Contamination,
so that the quality OF the product may
be definitely predicted. Afterwards. X
sufficient care Is taken, portion Of one
lot of properly seeded cream may bs
used to seed the next, and this prccess
bescortfnued for some time without the
need of specially prepared cultures.
Inc action OF the microbes In bread
making and brewing, in the fermenta-
ton OF the mash for the distillation OF
spirits, is somewhat more complicated.
In the riponing OF butter the bacterial
action results directly in producing the
desired others and salts, but In alcoholic
fermentation, for example, there are
several successive stages before the re-
quifed results are obtained. In sugar.
making, tanning, yinegar-making, and,
more especially, cheese-making, bac-
terra might naturally be looked for as
the agents OF productive industry, but
1t Is more surprising that even IN the
textile manufactures microbes have
been found to have their utility. In the
separation of the fibres of hemp, fax,
and jute they have long been employed,
though OF course without its being
known that such was the fact. Flax,
for example, is the 'bast'' fibre OF the
fax plant, and in order to separate II
for the manufacture of linen it Is neces-
sary to dissolve a gummy, reslnous
substance which binds the flexible fibres
to these which are brittle and useless.
This Ia done bp a process which Is
known as "retting, the stems being
gathered in bundles and then set in
tanks or rivers or ponds where they are
allowed to stay for 10 or IL days. Dur
ing this process the gum, insoluble In
water alone, Is attacked by the bacteria
which the water contains and decom-
posed or fermented. leaving the fibres
easily separable. The waters OF GER
tain streams have become famous for
their peculiar effect on flax, as, for
instance, the water OF the river Lys in
Belgium, which had evidently become
thoroughly planted with the proper
bacteria for rettIng. Since the fermen-
tation OF the gum in this process prob
ably also affects the strength OF the
fbres, many attempts have been made
to accomplish the separation by me-
chanical means, but up to the present
it has been found impossible to get
along without the assistance OF the
bacteria.
Examples of the productive Importance
of microbes might be multiplied indefinite
ly. 1t is even suggested that the aroma
of the finest tobacco may be secured In
lower grades by the proper cultures. But,
interesting as the prospect of such dis
coveries may be. 1t has always been found
necessary at the institute to protect the
good microbes at every step from the dan
gerous and disastrous competition with
those whose character Is miscellaneous,
Milk, for instance. is subject not only to
the bacteria which sour 1t, but to others
which make 1t blue or "ropy' or bitter.
In the same way, beer, whiskey bread
and other products have their peculiar
bacterial diseases. All food stuffs which
spoil, indeed, do so as a result of fermen-
tation produced by bacteria, and 1t Is
largely to delay their action that foods
are cooked, smoked, preserved, or kept
on ice. The further one goes, In fact. the
more one is impressed by the uses to
which Industrial bacteriology can be put
It Is clearly it's province to determine the
character of the enormous number OF
harmful microbes which attack every va
viety of food, and to present a remedy
for their action, the enormous growth of
the canning industry being only one ex-
ample of the commercial value of any
new discovery in the biologists labora-
tory.