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EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



The Babcock Te'IT. — Dairymen will find a record of further experiments with 

 this useful method of ascertaining the percentage of fat in milk. These have special 

 reference to the amount of potassium bichromate to be used in composite testing. 



Well Waters, — As in former years, the analysis of farmers' well waters is a 

 matter that has received our attention. The results of the past year are given, and 

 attention is drawn to the danger of drinking from a contaminated supply. 



Saline Waters. — Some experiments towards the improvement of certain saline 

 waters have been made this year. The results are commended to the notice of those 

 who unfortunately have to depend upon such unwholesome supplies. 



Miscellaneous. — Several other matters, though perhaps of less importance than 

 the foregoing, are treated of in the following report, since they are considered of 

 general interest to farmers. 



Addresses have been delivered at several of the larger agricultural conventions 

 in Ontario, and have received publication in their transactions. 



They are as follows: — 



Dairymen's Association of Eastern Ontario — Home grown Coarse Fodders. 



Creameries' Association of Ontario — Paying for Milk according to Butter-fat. 



Ontario Agricultural and Experimental Union — The Chemistry of Farmyard 

 Manure. 



Convention of Executive Health OflBcers, Ontario — The Farm Water Supply. 



Ontario Fruit Growers' Association — The Chemistry of the Copper Fungicides. 



In addition to these, several Farmers' Institutes were attended and addressed. 



In August, upon the nomination of Sir Henry Trueman Wood, Secretary to the 

 Royal Commisson of Great Britain, I was appointed a professional juror on cereals 

 at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago. 



Accordingly, with the approval of the Honourable the Minister of Agriculture 

 and yourself, I proceeded to Chicago and there assisted in the analysis of more than 

 500 samples of grain including wheat, oats, barley, rye, Indian corn, buckwheat, 

 rice and flour — among which were many samples from all parts of Canada. The 

 awards for excellence in this department were granted from data derived from 

 physical inspection and chemical analysis — the nutritive value as deduced from the 

 composition of the grain, being an important factor. 



In this connection, it is particularly gratifying to note that the analysis of the 

 samples of wheat (principally Eed and White Fife) sent from Manitoba and the 

 North-west Territories, showed them to be of excellent quality and containing a 

 very high percentage of albuminoids, thus confirming previous analyses and opinions 

 of the wheat grown in these provinces. 



The United States Department of Agriculture purpose publishing in bulletin 

 form the analytical data of all the cereals examined. 



In January last Mr. A. Lehmann, B.S.A., resigned his post of assistant chemist 

 to accept a position on the staff of the Experiment station of Louisiana, at New 

 Orleans. For two years and a half Mr. Lehmann had worked faithfully and well in 

 our laboratories, and it was with much regret that I parted with an assistant who 

 had proved himself so valuable and had taken such a deep interest in the chemical 

 work of the Farms. 



Mr. P. H. Le Eossignol, B.A.Sc. of McGill University, Montreal, was appointed 

 to the vacant assistantship in April. Mr. Lo Eossignol has shown himself a careful 

 and skilful analyst and well qualified for the work of this department. To his ability 

 and industry I am indebted for many of the results here recorded. 



I have the honour to be. Sir, 



Your obedient servant, 



FEANK T. SHUTT, 



Chemist, Dominion Experimental Farms. 

 Chemical Laboratories, 

 Central Experimental Farm, 

 Ottawa. 



