480 



EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4 GEORGE V., A. 1914 



Machine Milk. 



25,410 bacteria per 



20,»83 ,. 



2,l,S8 



6,244 



22,993 .i , 



10,454 .. i 



21,141 .. , 



12,760 ii t 

 21,427 



7,850 „ , 



cc 



Hand Milk. 



cc 



From the above ten days quoted in detail, the average daily counts for the milk- 

 ing machine are 15,135 organisms per cubic centimeter, and 1,590 organisms per 

 cubic centimeter for the hand milk. The average for another similar period gave 

 174,693 organisms per ' cc' in machine milk and 2,706 organisms per cc' in 

 hand milk. A third average computed from a period of twenty days again decided 

 in favour of hand milking; the results obtained for machine milk were 22,112 per 

 ' cc,' and for hand milk, 9,358 per ' cc' 



The average bacterial contents of milk obtained by machine and by hand of all 

 tests made, were as follows: — 



Machine milk per ' cc' 70,646 and hand milk per ' cc' 4,551 organisms. 



Notwithstanding the variations of the bacterial contents obtained at certain 

 times, the differences have often been easy to account for. For instance, on February 

 24th and March 7th, some teat cups fell off during milking and before the cow could 

 be attended to, dust and dirt had been absorbed by suction and had spoiled the milk, 

 which though examined, was, naturally, rejected. Again, in hand milking -several 

 times the milker was changed and less experienced men had to be employed; this at 

 once increased the number of bacteria per cc. of milk. 



The experiments are being continued and finally a complete report will be issued. 

 At the present we are able to state that the bacterial contents of the milk have been 

 reduced after six months' work from 18,000 organisms per cc. at the beginning to 

 some 500 organisms towards the end. Thus the milk at the Central Experimental 

 Farm may be classed among the purest natural milks produced anywhere on the 

 continent of America. 



THE STORAGE ROTS OF POTATOES. 



For some months past, an inspection of stored potatoes has been carried on by 

 the Division of Botany, especially of potatoes among which the presence of 

 powdery scab was suspected. During this work it was recalled that the losses 

 from the various ' rots ' affecting stored potatoes were considerable, and of 

 far greater economic importance than is generally realized. In some instances from 

 thirty to forty per cent of the potatoes had become quite useless, owing to various 

 forms of dry or wet rots. This observation made early in the season was a bad out- 

 look for the safe-keeping over winter of the remaining potatoes. ' Storage rots ' of 

 potatoes may be induced by a variety of agents. To begin with, it must be under- 

 stood that a perfectly ' ripe ' potato providing, of course, it is free from blight or 

 other diseases, is less liable to be affected by rot than those harvested too early. This 

 statement raises the question: When are potatoes ripe, i.e., in the best condition to 

 dig? Digging potatoes depends largely upon individual conditions prevailing at the 



