y-settled sections, notably in the West, in order that ent quantities of cream could be collected. The cream these skimming stations was shipped to the creamery the milk from nearby farms was separated and where e cream was churned. This system was also followed me Eastern sections. In northern Vermont, for ine, a creamery company has a number of skimming ons located all through Franklin County and some in ining counties where the farmers' milk is separated whence the cream is shipped to the creamery at St. ans to be churned. In the Western States, however, mming stations have been more numerous, and when the nd separator came it had the effect of eliminating a great ny skimming stations throughout this section of the untry, because the farmers separate their milk on the farm d ship the cream long distances to a creamery. Thus, the and separator has brought back into use a system of gathring cream instead of whole milk. It will be remembered hat only the cream was collected by creameries organized n the Cooley or Fairlamb plan. The great producers in he Middle West, known as "centralizers," have most of the cream separated by the farmers and shipped to them over the railroad.

The system by which the skimming station is used to collect the cream at a central point, there to be churned, is by far the most satisfactory system from the manufacturers' point of view. The cream is better taken care of and is more uniform in quality, the result of which is that better butter can be made. Where the hand separator is used the cream is sometimes kept too long, and frequently improperly cared for. The result is that when this cream reaches the creamery numerous lots of cream of different degrees of ripeness and varying in purity are worked up together, making a grade of butter that cannot be as good as butter made of cream collected by means of skimming stations.

results obtained were not accurate and the evneriment was

"The statement on page 29 as to Vermont is no longer true, as the system in question has recently been discontinued."

cause, next to the separator, it is the most important invention used in the dairy industry. It has a wide sale, and is in general use not only in this country but in Europe. Instead of securing a patent, however, Dr. Babcock gave this invention to the world as a public benefaction. Dr. Babcock is therefore honored not alone for his genius and for the industry which he displays in his investigations, but for his unselfish interest in the dairy industry and in the progress of mankind.

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE HAND SEPARATOR

Its.

The hand separator was introduced about 1894. more rapid introduction dates from 1898.1 The effect of the general use of the power separator made it necessary to deliver the whole milk at the creamery or at skimming stations where milk is separated and where the farmers get their share of the skim milk to take back to the farm. Frequently, however, this milk is run into a tank and allowed to accumulate, the result of which is that the skim milk deteriorates and loses considerable food value. The use of the hand separator enables the farmer to feed his skim milk in its very best condition to hogs or calves.

When the power separator came into general use it was necessary to establish numerous skimming stations, in

1 H. E. Van Norman, First Lessons in Dairying, p. 88.

sparsely-settled sections, notably in the West, in order that sufficient quantities of cream could be collected. The cream from these skimming stations was shipped to the creamery where the milk from nearby farms was separated and where all the cream was churned. This system was also followed in some Eastern sections. In northern Vermont, for instance, a creamery company has a number of skimming stations located all through Franklin County and some in adjoining counties where the farmers' milk is separated and whence the cream is shipped to the creamery at St. Albans to be churned. In the Western States, however, skimming stations have been more numerous, and when the hand separator came it had the effect of eliminating a great many skimming stations throughout this section of the country, because the farmers separate their milk on the farm and ship the cream long distances to a creamery. Thus, the hand separator has brought back into use a system of gathering cream instead of whole milk. It will be remembered that only the cream was collected by creameries organized on the Cooley or Fairlamb plan. The great producers in the Middle West, known as "centralizers," have most of the cream separated by the farmers and shipped to them over the railroad.

The system by which the skimming station is used to collect the cream at a central point, there to be churned, is by far the most satisfactory system from the manufacturers' point of view. The cream is better taken care of and is more uniform in quality, the result of which is that better butter can be made. Where the hand separator is used the cream is sometimes kept too long, and frequently improperly cared for. The result is that when this cream reaches the creamery numerous lots of cream of different degrees of ripeness and varying in purity are worked up together, making a grade of butter that cannot be as good as butter made of cream collected by means of skimming stations.

Ever since the hand separator came into general use the creameries have tried to improve the quality of the cream. There are some obstacles in the way. In the first place, the hand separator must be thoroughly washed and sterilized every time it is used in order to prevent the growth of pernicious bacteria and their transmission into the newly-separated cream. The importance of sterilization is, of course, not always appreciated, and this causes a great deal of mischief. In the second place, there is frequently keen competition among producers, and in the effort to secure all the cream available, terms that encourage laxity in the care of the cream are sometimes made with farmers. Attempts are being made, however, to remedy the evil by paying for cream according to quality. In general, the plan is to pay more for sweet cream than for sour cream. This, of course, presupposes coöperation among the creameries in a given section of the country.

RECENT CHANGES IN METHODS OF PRODUCTION

Nature has provided a special bacterium, called the lactic acid bacillus, to sour milk or cream. When cream is allowed to ripen naturally preparatory to churning, it is due to the development of these bacilli that always manage to get into milk. It takes considerable time, however, for the cream to ripen naturally, and in order to avoid this delay creameries now generally use home-made or commercial 66 starters". The commercial "starter" is prepared by isolating the lactic acid bacilli and cultivating them in a suitable medium. By the use of the "starter" the time of ripening can not only be controlled, but the flavor of the butter can be improved, since good flavor is believed to be largely dependent upon the predominance of lactic acid bacteria over other bacteria in the cream. Too much acidity in the cream, however, produces a "fishy flavor" in