| 3 hours. | 6 hours. | 9 hours. | 24 hours. | |
| 59° F. | 1 + | 2.5 | 5 | 163 |
| 77° F. | 2 | 18.5 | 107 | 62,100 |
| 95° F. | 4 | 1,290 | 3,800 | 5,370 |
This instructive table claims some observations. It will be noticed that at 59° F. there is very little multiplication. That may be accepted as a rule. At 77° F. the multiplication, though not particularly rapid at the outset, results finally, at the end of the twenty-four hours, in the maximum quantity. These were probably common species of saprophytic bacteria, which increase readily at a comparatively low temperature. During the subsequent hours, after the twenty-four, we should expect a decline rather than an increase in 62,000, owing to the keen competition consequent upon the limitation of the pabulum. From a consideration of these figures we conclude that a warm temperature, somewhat below blood-heat, is most favourable to multiplication of bacteria in milk; that the common saprophytic organisms multiply the most rapidly; that, in the course of time, competition kills off a large number.
Let us take another example, from Professor Conn:
| 77° F. | 95° F. | ||||
| 2 | hours | after | milking | (liquefied the plate of gelatine) | 1,275,000 |
| 7 | " | " | " | 14,620,000 | 45,900,000 |
| 9 | " | " | " | 36,550,000 | 57,800,000 |
| 24 | " | " | " | 13,702,000,000 | 13,812,500,000 |
| [Bacteria per cub. inch.] | |||||
These almost incredibly large figures illustrate much the same points, particularly the rapid multiplication at blood-heat, and the later rise at 77° C.
The Influence of Time is not less marked than that of temperature, as the following table will show:
| Milk drawn at 59° C. | = | 153,000 | m.o. | per | cub. | in. | ||
| After | 1 | hour | = | 616,000 | " | " | " | " |
| " | 2 | hours | = | 539,000 | " | " | " | " |
| " | 4 | " | = | 680,000 | " | " | " | " |
| " | 7 | " | = | 1,020,000 | " | " | " | " |
| " | 9 | " | = | 2,040,000 | " | " | " | " |
| " | 24 | " | = | 85,000,000 | " | " | " | " |
| (Conn.) | ||||||||
Freudenreich gives another example, as follows:
| Milk drawn at 15.5° C. | = | 27,000 | m.o. | per | cc. | ||
| After | 4 | hours | = | 34,000 | " | " | " |
| " | 9 | " | = | 100,000 | " | " | " |
| " | 24 | " | = | 4,000,000 | " | " | " |