~Sterilization.~ As ordinarily used in dairying, sterilization means the application of heat at temperatures approximating, if not exceeding, 212 deg. F. It does not necessarily imply that milk so treated is sterile, i. e., germ-free; for, on account of the resistance of spores, it is practically impossible to destroy entirely _all_ these hardy forms. If milk is heated at temperatures above the boiling point, as is done where steam pressure is utilized, it can be rendered practically germ-free. Such methods are employed where it is designed to keep milk sweet for a long period of time. The treatment of milk by sterilization has not met with any general favor in this country, although it has been more widely introduced abroad. In most cases the process is carried out after the milk is bottled; and considerable ingenuity has been exercised in the construction of devices which will permit of the closure of the bottles after the sterilizing process has been completed. Milks heated to so high a temperature have a more or less pronounced boiled or cooked taste, a condition that does not meet with general favor in this country. The apparatus suitable for this purpose must, of necessity, be so constructed as to withstand steam pressure, and consequently is considerably more expensive than that required for the simpler pasteurizing process. ~Pasteurization.~ In this method the degree of heat used ranges from 140 deg. to 185 deg. F. and the application is made for only a limited length of time. The process was first extensively used by Pasteur (from whom it derives its name) in combating various maladies of beer and wine. Its importance as a means of increasing the keeping quality of milk was not generally recognized until a few years ago; but the method is now growing rapidly in favor as a means of preserving milk for commercial purposes. The method does not destroy all germ-life in milk; it affects only those organisms that are in a growing, vegetative condition; but if the milk is quickly cooled, it enhances the keeping quality very materially. It is unfortunate that this same term is used in connection with the heating of cream as a preparatory step to the use of pure cultures in cream-ripening in butter-making. The objects to be accomplished vary materially and the details of the two processes are also quite different. While pasteurizing can be performed on a small scale by the individual, the process can also be adapted to the commercial treatment of large quantities of milk. The apparatus necessary for this purpose is not nearly so expensive as that used in sterilizing, a factor of importance when other advantages are considered. In this country pasteurization has made considerable headway, not only in supplying a milk that is designed to serve as children's food, but even for general purposes.