878 EXPERIMENT STATION KECOED. [Vol.38 



Milk goats, E. L. Shaw (V. S. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bui. 920 {1918), pp. 36, 

 figs. 18). — A general treatise on the status of the industry in the United States, 

 the character of goat's milk, and the breeds, breeding, care and management, 

 and diseases of goats. 



It has been found that goat's milk can be thoroughly separated in a separator. 

 When goat's milk testing 4.4 per cent fat was run through the separator the 

 skim milk tested only 0.03 per cent fat. The composition of the milk in the 

 Bureau of Animal Industry's herd of common American goats averaged the 

 following percentages : Specific gravity, 1.0338 ; fat, 5.99 ; solids-not-fat, 10.97 ; 

 sugar, 4.93 ; protein, 4.63 ; and water, 83.04. Tests indicate that when goat's 

 milk and cream are properly handled butter of a good quality and free from 

 objectionable features may be secured. Directions are given for the manu- 

 facture of cheese from goat's milk. Results secured in a cooperative experi- 

 ment by the Sea View Hospital, New York, and the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 upon the value of goat's milk for tuberculous patients were entirely negative. 



The essentials of a goat dairy are noted, and the floor plans and details are 

 given of the goat dairy at the department experiment farm at Beltsville, Md. 

 Breeding experiments at this farm have involved the crossing of pure-bred 

 Saanen and Toggenburg bucks on common American does. The crossbred 

 goats from each of these breeds have shown great improvement over the 

 common goat. The grade Saanen does have had a lactation period of from 

 7 to 10 months and have given an average of 3.1 lbs. of milk per day, ranging 

 in fat content from 4 to 6 per cent. The grade Toggenburg does have milked 

 from 6 to 10 months and produced an average of 3.2 lbs. of milk per day, the 

 fat content of which ranged from 4 to 6 per cent. The average weight of the 

 mature half-Saanen does in 1917 was 129 lbs., and of the half -Toggenburg 

 does 103 lbs. In 1915 the average daily milk yield per head of 10 selected 

 common does was 1.5 lbs. for periods of from 7 to 10 months. This milk ranged 

 in fat content from 6.5 to 9.4 per cent 



The Bureau herd of does in milk are fed in winter a ration of 2 lbs. of 

 alfalfa or clover hay, 1.5 lbs. of silage or turnips, and fi'om 1 to 2 lbs. of a 

 grain mixture of corn, oats, bran, and linseed meal (10: 10: 5: 1). On pasture 

 the does are fed from 1 to 1.5 lbs. of a gi-ain mixture of corn, oats, and bran 

 (2:2:1). In 1916 the herd of 10 grade Toggenburg and Saanen does during 

 their lactation period required 1.21 lbs. of grain to produce a quart of milk. 



The milch goat, A. C. McCandlish and L. S. Gillette {Iowa Sta. Circ. 42 

 {1918), pp. .^).— Brief notes are given on the adaptations, breeds, feeding, man- 

 agement, and product of milch goats. 



Germ content of milk.- — II, As influenced by the utensils, M. J. Peucha, 

 H. M. Weeter, and W. H. Chambeks {Illinois Sta. Bui. 20.'/ {1918), pp. 217- 

 257, fig. 1). — In continuation of the study of the relative importance of the 

 various channels through which bacteria enter milk (E. S. R., 37, p. 684), 

 results are here given of investigations begun in 1913 upon the influence that 

 the various utensils in which milk is normally handled exert upon the germ 

 content of tlie milk. In part 1 of the bulletin are reported the results of ex- 

 periments in which the influence was studied by direct examination of the 

 cans and bottles. The aim of these tests was to determine the number of bac- 

 teria in freshly washed unsteamed cans and bottles, whether bacteria In- 

 creased in washed utensils before being filled, and the source of these bacteria. 



The study of bacteria in freshly washed cans was made with 170 cans that 

 had been used In shipping sweet milk from 37 farms to two dairies. In dairy 

 A the milk handled in the cans had a low germ content. The number of cans 

 washed in the same lot of wash water was from 20 to 30, and the amount ot 



