The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-11-04

bacteria. If there We're bacteria
fungi there would be no decay, and all
the world would be clogged with the dead
bodies OF plants and animals, which
have lived and died in past ages. The
farmer makes his cider and vinegar by
the aid of bacteria. In the retting of
flax previous to the manufacture of linen,
we deal with bacteria. In the manufac-
ture of Indigo bacteria come in to play
In the great wine, beer whiskey and
alcohol industries the fermentations are
brought about by bacteria yeasts,
which are also treated under the same
head of bacteriology.
But let us come down to the practical
part bacteria play in relation to agri-
culture. In the butter and cheese in
dustry this relation is perhaps, the most
evident. First Of ALL the souring of milk
is caused by many species of bacteria
which consume the milk, sugar and form
Tactic acid. The souring of milk may be
prevented by keeping out the bacteria
When milk is secreted in the bladder of
the cow it is sterile and contains no
bacteria, but many germs work up
through the openings in the teats, and so
when the milk is drawn it contains a
small number of bacteria. The keeping
qualities of milk may be increased very
materially by the following methods.
| First see that the milk pail has smooth
| bottom and sides with no seams or
| cracks. The pail should not only be
absolutely clean, but it should be we'll
| sterilZed by contact with live steam or
| hot sunshine All strainers and other
utensils should also be thoroughly steril-
! lied or heated The COW should be clean
hnll CHI hnr,l1 ha
| slightly moistened With water just be-
tore milking. The clothes and person OF
/ the mlker should be clean, and he should
! have a white duck suit of overalls to
/ slip on over his other clothes. The
| practice of moistening the hand with
milk while milking is very bad, and
1 should not be allowed. The barn should
be kept scrupulously clean and milking
should always be done before feeding,
or if this is impracticable the feed should
be moistened. The object in barn man
| agement should be to have smaal an
| amount Of dust IN the air possible,
| therefore dry food should never be
handled Or thrown from the loft during
| milking time Milk secured in this way
! Will keep from four to five days IN a
! sweet condition. If a great deal OF pains
are taken milk will keep sweet month
!
Chicago. a can of milk was sent from
Uruguay, South America, which arrived
in Chicago in sweet condition. Others
were successfully sent from TINS country
to the Paris Exposition.
Now, the way many up-to-date butter
makers overcome this difficulty is they
heat the milk to a temperature of 10;
and keep it there for fifteen minutes, and
then quickly chill it down to low TEN
perature again. This kills pracucally
all the bacteria good ones and bad ones
together, and yet does not give the mllh
q cooked flavor. Next. having procured
from the market a pure CROWN OF lHe
desired bacteria, they plant them IN the
milk and then put it away at the rlSh'
temperature to riDen or sour. MS
called adding q starter, and IS eXacllS
the same kind of thing the farmer does
when he plows up his fields and Kills al
the weeds, together with what 1e" Vol
unteer crop plants have come up, ah'
then seeds the whole field down soma le
wheat corn some other cro9.
We next come to the bacterial disease:
Of animals and plants. Among plant dis
eases of bacterial origin, one OF the bes
known is the fre-blght of apple ant
i near trees This can be cured by sumplS
cutting out the blghted portions 100
on. so below the diseased part. AS pre-
cautionary measure the knife uset
should be dipped in carbollc acld altel
!, each limb is cut. This will preclude tn'
possibility of reading the disease D.
| carving bacteria from the tree on th'
blade of the knife. In recent years ther'
has been a great deal OF talking ahs
writing about the tuberculosis IN cattle
When cow brcathes these bacteria lhte
, her lungs especially II she mas colu
they are apt to find lodgment ana en-
, couraged by the presence of good, warmth
, and moisture they set up an actlVe
, growth. Soon they increase to billions
, and form a hard core or tuDerc,e N th'
, lung tissue. This tubercle continues q
: GROW in size until the whole lung De
comes one solid mass Of hard chees.
nature. This soiidification deprlyes IN
, animal of the use Of the lung, In sons
cases the bacteria spreads over the BOD!
, injecting the liver and other glands a
LONG as the udder is not aHected th
> milk is safe for use, but If the Dacter1i