lUIKYING. 475 



to 5 grains, measured rouglily on the point of a knife or in a small 

 spoon, is amj)le.'" Samples of milk were preserved witli 18 and 3G grains 

 of bichromate of potassium, respectively, from ^Nfay 27 to July 7, with 

 practically no change in the fat content. 



"After this hist date tlie fat in both samples became slightly curdy and the per- 

 centage gradually lower. The samples were shaken daily and tests made every week 

 until September 26, when the respective readings were: A, 2.20 per cent fat; B, 2..50 

 per cent fat. Both samples had curdled and were measured with difficulty. 



"For more than 7 weeks the millc had retained its fluidity and yielded a correct 

 percentage of fat, though the preservative had been increased to 36 grains to the 

 pint. . . . 



"If the fat readings are obscure thi'ough charring, due to excess of the preserva- 

 tive, the quantity of acid must be slightly reduced." 



Investigations of Babcock's, Thonier's, and Gerber's recent 

 methods for the determination of fat in milk, J. Sebblien and K. 

 Storen {Norsk Landtuaiulsblad, Hi {t!^9i), pp. 3:25-329, 332-334). — A 

 thorough investigation of the methods mentioned convinced the aitthors 

 that the results obtained by any of them, after some practice and ^hen 

 proper care is taken, will not difler more than 0.1 i^er cent, and by fur- 

 ther practice will agree still better. As far as ease of manipulation 

 goes, the authors give the Babcock test the first place. The (Tcrber 

 method, lately modified for concentrated sulphuric acid and amyl alco- 

 hol, in the oi)inion of the authors has the advantage in ease of cen- 

 trifuging and of reading. The first cost of the (lerber apparatus is 

 least (according to Norwegian prices), while the running expenses are 

 lowest in the Babcock method. — f. w. woll. 



Berg's lactoscope, IT. N. Thoke {Mdll-crltid., 7, 1894, pp. 4S6, /.'?r).— 

 The lactoscope, which. Judging from the description, is a modification 

 of Fjord's "control centrifuge," gives the cream content of samples of 

 milk, after whirling in a centrifuge for 15 minutes at the rate of 6,000 

 revolutions per minute. The author has used the lactoscope in his 

 creamery for a year and believes it is destined to become generally 



used. — F. W. WOEL. 



Composite tests, II. H. Dean [Oniario Agl. Col. and Exptl. Farm 

 Bpt. 1893, pp. 144-147). — Daily samples amounting to about 1 tiuid 

 ounce, and to one third and one sixth the amounts required for a test, 

 respectively, were taken for several weeks, and the results of the test 

 compared with the daily tests. The results agreed closely with those 

 shown by the daily tests. 



To see if the work of testing could not be lightened, composite sam- 

 ples were made for a number of weeks, preserving them by means of 

 bichromate of potash. Composite samples covering 7 weeks agreed 

 quite closely with the average of the daily tests for this period. 



Gravity creaming, F. L. Kent {Iowa Sta. Ihil. 25, pp. 39, 40).— 

 Trials were made from October 17 to 20 in setting a part of the milk 

 irom the college herd m Coolej" cans in ice water and creaming after 

 15 and 24 hours, respectively, to within 1 in. of the cream line. The 



