52 



following order: Eaily Marblcliead, Chicago Market, Crosby, Early 

 Sweet or Sugar, Moore's Early Concord, Eose's Improved Evergreen, 

 Henderson, flouey Sweet, Ne Pins Ultra, Stowell's Evergreen." 



Tomatoes (pp. 21, 22). — Brief notes on three varieties. 



Sugarbccts (p. 22). — The yields and per cent of sngar are given for 

 five varieties tested in 188S and 1889. 



A trial of a solution called the "new preserver and gerininator of 

 cereals and seeds" indicated that it had no special value. Chemical 

 analysis sbowed its principal constituent to be acetate of lead, worth in 

 the market G to 8 cents per pound. 



Iowa Station, Bulletin No. 8, February, 1890 (pp. 45). 



Iowa Station milk test, G. E. Patrick, M. S. (pp. 29j-316).— 

 This is an account of " a new dairy test for determining the amount of 

 butter fat in milk." The author states that in tbe spring of 1889, whileen- 

 gaged in making analyses of milk, be was "impressed anew with the very 

 great need, long felt by farmers," dairymen, and breeders, of a speedy, 

 easily worked, inexpensive, and reasonably accurate method of testing 

 the quality of milk — a method which could be used in the dairy or in 

 tbe farmer's kitchen, and which would enable the milk producer or the 

 breeder to determine, at trifling expense, the yield of butter fat (or milk 

 fat) from the individual cows of his herd." It is strongly urged that 

 the quality of milk is affected by individual differences in cows as much 

 as by differences in breed, and that therefore it is very desirable for the 

 farmer to make sure that each animal in his herd is being fed at a profit. 

 This is emphasized by calling attention to a common estimate tbat one 

 fourth of the dairy cows in this country are kept at a loss, from which 

 it follows that "one half the cows are kept without profit, for the one 

 fourth at a loss eat up tbe profits of another one fourth." In other 

 words, one third to one half the capital invested in dairy stock is dead 

 capital. Tbe incorrectness of the " somewhat popular 'cream test'" is 

 enforced and experiments made with this test at the Kansas Station 

 are quoted from the First Annual Report of that station, pp. 92, 93. 

 From these experiments it appeared that " in the case of every cow em- 

 ployed, and with each kind of feed, the milk giving the largest display 

 of cream often gave the least butter i)roduct, and the reverse." As re- 

 gards creameries where milk is paid for on this basis the chief loss falls 

 on the farmers who furnish the best milk. " The farmer whose Jerseys, 

 as in the case of our ' Pansy,' gave 9^ to 10 per cent of cream, yield- 

 ing nearly 5 per cent of butter, must, if all patrons are paid alike, 

 contribute in the course of a year a very pretty sum towards the sup- 

 port of his neighbor's herd of scrubs, which, like our 'White' and 

 'Ruby,' gave nearly 11 per cent of cream and only 3f per cent of 

 butter." 



The mill test.—T\\Q. test devised by the autbor is described in detail. 

 Tiie principle consists in dissolving the casein and albumen of the milk 



