DAIRY FARMING DAIRYING. 



S«7 



conducted under his supervision. The plan of investigation included 

 the examination of samples of butter from large dairies each week 

 daring the year by 6 Canton chemists, but in fact examinations were 

 made much less frequently. The maximum and minimum results for 

 all except the author's work were as follows: Specific gravity, O.SGU- 

 0.801>; volatile fatty acids (Reichert-Meissl number), 26.6-33.7; saponifi- 

 cation equivalent, 224-235.8, and index of retraction, 41-44. 



The author made a systematic study, covering one year, of the but- 

 ter produced by a herd near Basel, the maximum and minimum results 

 of which are as follows": 



Variation in butter from a herd during one year, 



Month. 



November. 

 December 



January... 

 February.. 



March 



April 



Volatile 

 tatty 

 acids. 



27. 0-31. 5 

 27. 5-29. 2 



Saponifica- 

 tion num- 

 ber. a 



223. 2-2::::. 2 

 222. 7-224. 5 



Index of 

 retraction. 



42. 8-45. 5 

 44. 0-45. 5 



23.5-26.2 218.6-228.2 43.7-45.5 

 23. 7-25. 6 ' 222. 0-227. 1 ; 43. 7-45. 



22.8-25.5 44.0-45.2 



20.9-23.7 21G. 9-221. 7 44.6-47.0 



Index of 

 refrac- 

 tion. 



44. 5-46. 



44. 5-40. 



45. 2-40. 2 

 44. 2-46. 8 

 46.1-46.6 

 45. 1 45. 9 

 43. 9-46. 1 



a As the index of refraction rose and fell with the volatile fatty acids, it was not determined after 

 April. 



The herd included fresh milch cows in varying number throughout 

 the year. The low volatile fatty acids found in August were checked 

 by a trial in which the author himself made butter from the milk drawn 

 in his presence. 



The author is inclined to believe that the time of year is not without 

 effect on the composition of the butter. The results presented show 

 the danger of condemning butter as adulterated on the basis of the 

 volatile fatty acids. In the case of fresh butter the author recommends 

 microscopic examination, and in the case of other butter he suggests 

 that where possible a sample of milk from the dairy from which the 

 butter emanated should be made into butter and examined. 



Milk supplies of Pennsylvania, M. E. McDonnell (Pennsylvania 

 Dept. Ayr. Rpt. 1897, pp. 561-597). — In addition to a general discussion 

 of the characteristics of bacteria, the contamination of milk by disease 

 germs, and the inspection and handling of milk, including protection 

 from infection, pasteurization, use of preservatives, a-ration, cooling, 

 bottling, etc., the author presents a detailed report upon the examina- 

 tion of 352 samples of milk collected in 11 cities in the State. The 

 data are tabulated and show the percentages of fat and total solids, 

 specific gravity, acidity, total number of bacteria, and the number of 

 liquefying bacteria per cubic centimeter, temperature on days of collec- 

 tion, and descriptive notes. 



•'The Pennsylvania supplies were studied at the hottest season of the year, and 

 the number of organisms found is probably greater than it would be at an; other 

 time. The average number found in all of the milk examined, which included all 



