The Mystery of the Curdled Cream
A Falls City dairyman and a professor clash over a strange bacterial contamination affecting local butter production.
J. H. Moore, of Falls City, visited our office to discuss the ongoing trouble with his cream. Mr. Moore disputes the theories offered by Prof. Spillman, noting that his dairy is kept scrupulously clean and that he does not use wooden tanks. Despite his efforts, his cream thickens and curdles prematurely, and he is seeking a definitive cause. Prof. Spillman maintains that the issue is of bacterial origin, suggesting that an unusual microbe has infected the dairy or the herd. He recommends a systematic testing of individual cows and a rigorous sanitation of all equipment to isolate the source of the contamination.
“The cream looks thick and curdled before it shows any acid; it begins to get thick after it is separated 12 hours, and on churning more or less of the cream does not churn.”
This technical dispute highlights the early 20th-century struggle to professionalize dairy farming through the lens of emerging bacteriology. It reflects a time when farmers were transitioning from traditional methods to scientific management, a precursor to the modern food safety standards that define Washington's agricultural industry today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.