Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1874 — Removing Odors From Milk. [ARTICLE]

Removing Odors From Milk.

If milk has the odor of garlic or other vegetable, drop a piece of charcoal—a two or three inch cube—into the pan or pitcher. Charcoal is an excellent absorbent and filter, and has been used for the above purpose with success. Bear in mind, in all treatment and handling of milk, that sweet milk is an exceedingly ephemeral article, bearing within itself to a greater degree than any other article of ordinary commerce the seeds of its own speedy and unavoidable dissolution, and this natural tendency to quick decay, inimical to the interests of the butter-maker, must not be facilitated by permitting it to absorb still other agents to hasten the process; but where milk has become tainted from any cause, the process of aeration may be improved by putting a cloth over the perforated pail and pouring the milk through that into it; purify milk in the pure, fresh air, away from all taint® of stable or house. To illustrate this tendency to decay in milk, we give the results of experiments with three lots of milk: The first was aerated as above and cooled down to 51 deg., which is the temperature of very cold spring water, and was perfectly sweet 120 hours; the second was shut up in a can at 98 deg., the temperature of fresh milk, and exposed to the heat of the sun; it was spoiled in seven hours. The third was exposed to bad odors and was putrified in forty minutes and rotten in seventy. As each vegetable and plant has a pe-

collar volatile oil of its own which gives to ft its aroma or scent—all butter-makers are familiar with the distinctive aroma of butter made largely from turnips, cabbages, onions, garlic, and even green clover has a peculiar oil, which makes the dry plant a better article for butter —it becomes necessary to act upon the inference to make the best butter. Butter contains 2 per cent, of these volatile oils, which are caprylin, caproin and butyrin, which form caprylic, caproic and butyric adds, the basis of decay in butter. The mingling of these oils would give the aroma to the butter; a predominant, pungent odor'where an article like garlic or turnips entered largely into the food of the animals would indicate at once the cause; others would be detected with more difficulty, but where Kentucky blue-grass and dried clover, and timothy and orchard grass are furnished to cows, with our ordinary soiling crops, wheat, rye, oats and corn, free from weeds, and such grain—particularly oats, bran and corn—as experience shall demonstrate to be profitable, we may feel that we have taken necessary and important steps toward making the best of butter.— Cor. Maryland Farmer.