No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 633 



ture had their origin apart, and that they have at present many 

 points of contact. We know that most of the valuable horticultural 

 knowledge of the present has been obtained independent of scien- 

 tific research. We know, too, that the labor of the scientific labora- 

 tory is bearing fruit, and we cannot help but think that much more 

 of the knowledge now designated as pure science will become avail- 

 able for practical purposes as the years go by. The antagonism 

 between pure science and practice is a thing of the past, and the 

 scientist and the horticulturist have established friendly relations. 

 With the scientist it was for a long time ''Science for Science Sake;" 

 but he, too, has learned his lesson and he now acknowledges the full 

 importance of the practical side of life. This is shown by the fact 

 that one of the greatest workers in the field of pure science has 

 said, "Knowledge alone is not power, but that knowledge should be 

 applied to the practical affairs of life. Only in this sense is knowl- 

 edge power." 



. QUESTION. 



By GEO. ABBOTT. 



"WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO DELIVER MILK IN CITIES?" 



In answer to the question "Which is the best way to deliver milk 

 in cities," we answer, by the bottle system, for the following reasons: 

 The hard, impenetrable surface and texture of the glass resist any 

 saturation by the milk; also, the rounded angles of the bottle afford 

 no lodgment for it, and upon these accounts perfect cleansing of 

 the bottle is not only practicable, but easy of accomplishment. The 

 milk bottle is the same to the day of its destruction — always impene 

 trable, always bright, clean and attractive. The milk can, with use, 

 lose its coating of tin, and becomes irregular and dented in outline. 

 With the abrasion of the tin, the porous iron takes up the milk, and 

 the indentations form internal recesses and angles, difficult if not 

 impossible to clean. To test the relative merit of glass and tin in 

 these respects, thoroughly wash and scald a milk can and a milk 

 bottle, close each and set them away for a day; then remove the 

 covers and apply the nose to the freshly opened vessels. 



Milk bottles are so thoroughly annealed that in scalding they 

 may be subjected to any heat, even that of live steam, without, 

 breaking. 



The clean paper caps, with which milk bottles are closed, are used 

 but once, while the lids used upon the small delivery cans are par- 

 ticularly difficult to cleanse. 



But it is in the delivery of the milk that the bottle system has pre- 

 eminently the advantage. A few moments of reflection is sufficient 

 to impress the mind with the endless variety of impurities nnd dis- 

 ease germs which are wafted about by the breezes in a great city. 



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