Vol. IX. No. 213. 



THK AGKICULTailAL NKWs. 



201 



An Aid in Milk Testinef. 



Part of Bulletin No. 195 (February 1910) of the 

 University of Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, entitled Neiv and Imprnfiil Tests of Dair;/ 

 Frodudx, deals with the discussion that has taken place 

 in the past as to whether the fat coluinu in the Balicock 

 milk test should be read to the top, the bottom, or to 

 some other point on the meniscus. It is pointed out 

 that this surface can be made to take the apparent 

 form of an almost straight line by pouring a few drops 

 of alcohol into the neck of the test-bottle, after the test 

 has been made, thus giving a uniform means of making 

 the reading. At the same time, due lonsideration is 

 given to the fact that the alcohol so employed dissolves 

 some of the fat, and thus introduces an error into the 

 determination, and it is proposed to avoid this source 

 of error by saturating the alcohol with fat, before 

 employing it for the purpose. 



For preparing the fat-saturated alcohol, butter-fat, 

 obtained by pouring off the fat from a quantity of 

 melted butter, or by saving that separated in the 

 cream testing, is employed. About a teaspoonful of 

 this fat is added to 6 oz. of alcohol, in a bottle, which 

 is warmed, and shaken until the alcohol is saturated 

 with fat. For use, this alcohol is removed from the 

 bottle by means of a glass tube passing through the 

 cork, and nearly reaching the bottom of the bottle. In 

 using such alcohol, the line separating it from the fat 

 may be made more distinct by gently shaking the test- 

 bottle at the end of the determination. One of the 

 chief values of this method is that it makes the readings 

 obtained, from both wide-necked and narrow-necked 

 bottles, strictly comparable. 



Breeders' Associations for the Improvemeut of 

 Cattle. 



Owing to the rapid development of dairy farm- 

 ing in the State of Wisconsin during recent years, 

 attempts are being made toward the formation of 

 Breeders' Associations for the Improvement of Dairy 

 Cattle. The scheme for the organization of these is 

 outlined in Bulletin 183 of the Wisconsin University 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, entitled Community 

 Breeders' Associations f(j7- Dairi/ Cattle Impruremevt. 

 From this, it appears that thirty- one of these associa- 

 tions have already been organized in the State. 



The bulletin shows that the purpose of such 

 associations is to secure the co-operation of breeeders 

 in the production of high grades of pure-bred dairy 

 cattle, so that the community ma}' gain the advantage 

 of a good reputation as a breeding centre. The mem- 

 bers can direct their attention along definite lines; their 

 co-operation enables the demand, which has been created 

 by co-operative advertising for good animals of a definite 

 type, to be supplied; the meetings of the organization 

 provide a means of keeping the members informed of 

 the general progress that is being made; and protection 

 against fraud and contagious diseases is more easily 

 obtained. 



In organizing such an association, a meeting is 



usually called, by some one who is interested in the 

 matter, to which breeders are invited, and for which the 

 services of a speaker who is capable of bringing forward 

 the value of such organizations are retained. At this, 

 or a subsequent meeting, a constitution and bye-laws 

 are drawn up, and officers for the working of the organ- 

 ization are selected, with the result that an association 

 is formed which can subserve the interests of a definite 

 district. 



The Powell Wood Process. 



Reference to this process has been made already 

 in the Agricultural Aews (Vol. VIII, pp. 249 and 408). 

 It is stated in the Colonicd Office Joitrncd for April 

 1910, that the claim is made by the railway departments 

 of Western Australia and Victoria, that the employment 

 of uhis process renders the seasoning of timber unnecess- 

 ary. A description is given of the process, which is 

 stated to consist in heating green wood in a solution 

 containing 30 per cent, of molasses. As the boiling 

 point of this solution is higher than that of water, the 

 sap in the wood is caused to boil before ebullition takes 

 place in the solution itself. The result is that this sap 

 water is driven out of the wood which is being treated, 

 together with any air it may contain, so that when the 

 solution is eventually allowed to boil, the latter is 

 rapidly absorbed; the rate of this absorption is increased 

 by allowing the solution to boil for a short time, only, 

 and by letting it cool quickly. The timber which has 

 been treated in this way is placed in steam-heated 

 kilns for the purpose of removing superflous moisture, 

 and a wood is obtained which can resist the attacks of 

 dry rot and of white ants, the latter of which give consid- 

 erable trouble in parts of Australia. 



Abnormal Rainfall in St. Lucia. 



A note has been received from the Agricultural 

 Superintendent of St. Lucia, which shows that the rain- 

 fall in that island during last month was abnormal. 

 The quantity registered at the Botanic Station was 

 21'95 inches, which, as is pointed out, is the record 

 monthly rainfall for Castries for the last twenty years, 

 with the exception of that registered in September, 

 1898, which was 2.528 inches. It is 1510 inches above 

 the average for May, during the same period, and its 

 quantity has not been approached since May 1897, 

 when the precipitation was 1891 inches. This condition 

 did not apply to Castries and district, only, for heavy 

 rains have been general over the island, and records 

 from various parts range from 12 37 inches in the dry 

 districts, to 2714 inches in those where the rainfall is 

 generally high. 



The effect of this abnormal rainfall has been to 

 delay the cultivation of the land; it is stated, in fact, 

 that such operations as weeding are practically imposs- 

 ible. The continuation of such weather would be 

 unfortunate for the cacao industry, in view of the 

 prejudicial effect on the normal .setting and development 

 of the pods, and the conditions which it supplies for the 

 development of pod diseases. 



