488 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



clabbered skim milk to cows (E. S. R., 8, p. 248). The results of the 

 experiment showed that skim milk fed in this manner was worth not 

 quite one-sixth as much as grain feeds, or less than one-third of what 

 practical experiments seemed to indicate as its value. Valuing - 100 kg. 

 of grain feed at $2.43 (according to Swedish prices), the feeding value of 

 100 kg. of skim milk was found to be 36.5 cts. This is a somewhat lower 

 relative feeding value for skim milk than was found by Fjord in his 

 early feeding experiments (E. S. K., 5, p. 4l'8), a fact easily explained 

 by the loss of nutrients incident to the preparation of the clabbered 

 milk. — F. w". woll. 



Spaying cows, 4. Vennerholm (Landtmannen, 9 (1898), JVb. 23, pp. 

 363-368). — A general discussion of the subject, with an account of the 

 results of spaying 80 cows at 2 Swedish estates. Pour cows had to be 

 killed on account of bleeding, inflammation, etc. Six months after the 

 operation the live weights of the remaining 55 cows had increased from 

 22,023 kg. before the spaying to 25,111 kg. after, or an average of 150.5 

 lbs. per head. The milk yield was 532 liters per day before spaying 

 and 507 liters after spaying, or a decrease of about 5 per cent during 

 a little more than half a year. 



The writer does not advocate the adoption of this practice on a large 

 scale for healthy animals on account of the possible loss of cows, the 

 small differences in the price of the beef, and finally the uncertainty of 

 increasing or prolonging the lactation of the cows to any appreciable 

 extent. 



The paper is further discussed in the same journal (No. 29, pp. 474- 

 476) by B. Arfwedson and the writer. — F. W. woll. 



The milk supply of Boston and other New England cities, G. M. 

 Whitaker (U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Animal Industry Bui. 20, pp. 

 37, pis. 2, map 1). — This is an interesting and instructive bulletin on the 

 sources and handling of the milk of several of the larger New England 

 cities, Boston especially. The population of what is termed Greater 

 Boston is given as over 948,000. Three-fourths of the milk supply of 

 this territory is brought in by railroad. A map is given showing the 

 sources of the milk supply of this territory. 



"The longest direct run is 140 miles, and some railroad milk comes only 20 miles. 

 Most of this milk is conveyed in cars built for this especi;tl purpose, with refrigera- 

 tor closets for the cans of milk and with provision for steam heat. . . . Most of the 

 cars start in the morning, from 4 to G o'clock, and reach the city between 10 and 11. 

 In a few instances the car starts the afternoon previous, and is on the road over 

 night, reaching Boston during the next forenoon. The cars, in the summer, fre- 

 quently take the milk of the same morning; some start too early for the milk of 

 that morning, especially in the winter, and hence bring the milk of the previous day. 

 Milk is therefore 18 to 30 hours old before reaching the city. The number of these 

 milk cars averages about 35, although varying somewhat with the season. 



"By filling passageways and other open spaces as many as 1,200 cans (10,200 qt. ). 

 or over 10 tons in weight, can be got into a car. Railroad officials consider 10 tons a 

 carload. The nominal load, however, is 900 cans (7,650 qt.)." 



