931 



Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. The institution as reorganized ia 

 to receive the benefits of the acts of Congress of March 2, 1887, and August 30, 1890. 

 The new hoard of managers was organized May 28, by the election of the following 

 officers: C. O. Flagg president, Melville Bull treasurer, and C. J. Greene clerk. 



Utah Statiox. — W. F. Brewer, M. D., formerly connected with the veterinary 

 laboratory of the University of Nebraska, has been appointed biologist of the Utah 

 Station. 



ViKGiNiA Station. — R. H. Price, assistant horticulturist, has resigned to accept 

 the position of professor of horticulture in the Texas College and horticulturist to 

 the Texas Station. 



Kaix-making kxperimexts IX 1891.— R. G. Dyreuforth's report on the rain- 

 making experiments in 1891, niulcr his direction, was issued as Ex. Doc. No. 45 of 

 the Senate of the United States. 



Daikyixg, p. De Vuyst.— Under this title the author publishes a 31-page ]iam- 

 plilet, made up of compiled notes .and reports on investigations at Borsbeke, Belgium, 

 and elsewhere, on (1) rii)eniug of cream, (2) determination of acidity of cream, (3) 

 rapid methods of determining fat in milk, and (4) new dairy apparatus. 



Bipen'mg of cream. — Cultures of bacteria were obtained from Dr. Weigmann of the 

 Kiel Station. These were added to cream at the rate of 100 grams to 2.5 kg. of 

 cream ; other cultures propagated according to the directions of Weigmann were used 

 at the same rate, and 2.5 kg. of cream were allowed to ripen naturally. At the end 

 of twenty-four hoiu's the cream had the same aciditj-, and each lot was churned at 

 13.5^ C, the other conditions being as nearly identical as possible. In the first case 

 the cream churned with difficulty, in the second case rather more satisfactorily, 

 while in the third case it churned readily. The results of the tests were as follows: 



Yield and composition of hntter from cream ripened in different u-ays. 



Method of ripening. 



(1) Weigmann's cultures 



Fresh cultures 



Natural ripening 



(2) Fresh cultures 



i^atural ripening 



(3) Fresh cultures 



INatural ripening 



(4) Fresh cultures 



Natural ripening 



The butter prepared with Weigraann's cultures was of a better flavor while fresh 

 than the other lots, but after two or three days rancidity was observed. There was, 

 however, little difference in this respect between the butter prepared from cream 

 ripened naturally and by means of the fresh cultures ; and the results of experi- 

 ments in other dairies in Belgium with fresh cultures show that while the quality of 

 the fresh butter was slightly improved the yield was not sensibly increased. 



The author concludes that under ordinary circumstances artificial ripening is of 

 little value, but the new method may be employed with advantage in dairies where 

 the conditions are unfavorable to the miking of butter of good quality. Other ex- 

 perimenters have arrived at similar conclusions, but it appears probable that the 

 trouble is due in large measure to the use of cultures which are not strictly pure, 

 and to a neglect to maintain the proper temperatures during ripening. An auto- 

 matic arrangement for controlling the temjierature of the cream tanks during ripen- 

 ing is described and illustrated. 



Deiermiuation of acicliti/ of cream. — Brief dire<^tious for the use of various volumetric 

 methods. 



