DAIRY FARMING DAIRYING. 581 



given to the tissues by the process of milkiug, and were not connected with any 

 particular constituent of the milk. 



In pregnant cows there was a large increase of cells at the end of the lacta- 

 tion period. In one cow there was a slight and transitory affection of one 

 quarter of the udder, which produced for a long time a large number of cells 

 but without any change in the milk secretion either in quantity or quality, 

 showing that the vital activity of the gland tissue was in no way affected. 

 There was no evidence to show that such milk was injurious, yet if a cell 

 count could be relied upon such milk might at any time have been supposed to 

 be the product of a cow suffering from severe mastitis. One cow gave a very 

 high count of cells from the right hind quarter from no apparent cause. In 

 another case there was a typical catarrhal mastitis but no premonitory symp- 

 toms as regards alteration in the count. A deposit from a milk that contained 

 large numbers of streptococci was injected into young rabbits but produced no 

 ill effects. Injections of tuberculin did not increase the number of cells. 



The microscopic examination of many films, prepared both from normal 

 counts at different periods of lactation and from cows presenting slight signs 

 of mastitis, revealed no cell having any decided resemblance to a polymor- 

 phonuclear leucocyte. No case of phagocytosis of bacteria was observed. 



" We are of the opinion that the cytological examination of milk does not 

 admit of any inference of the existence of a diseased condition of the cows 

 supplying the milk. It may point to the desirability of veterinary inspection, 

 but gives no ' a priori ' grounds for condemnation of the milk." 



" In the milk of healthy cows in full milk and which do not give a high cell 

 count, the majority of cells tend to be of the type termed ' large uni-nuclears,' 

 with a small admixture of other cells. At the beginning and end of lactation, 

 or when the cell count is high, the multi-nuclears tend to be the predominant 

 cell, and this is the case whether the high cell count is without discernible 

 cause, or whether a definite mastitis is present. That is to say, a high cell 

 count seems to be due to an increase of the multi-nuclears, and may or may not 

 be associated with mastitis. These conclusions are in accordance with the 

 hypotheses we have put forward as to the effect of various stimuli on the gland 

 tissue of the udder. Substituting the word 'polymorphonuclear leucocyte' for 

 ' multi-nuclear cell,' our results are in general in accord with Savage, but we 

 differ entirely as to the nature and origin of the actual cellular elements. Even 

 in the deposits from the serous fluid in catarrhal mastitis we do not find the 

 presence of polymorphonuclear leucocytes, and must conclude that the cells of 

 the deposit are not ' pus cells ' in the ordinary acceptation. It is not in our 

 opinion possible to recognize diseased conditions by means of a microscopical 

 examination of the cells i)resent." 



Clean milk and commercial starters as factors in butter making, W. G. 

 Sackett {Colorado Sta. Bui. 7.76, pp. .',-!',). —A bulletin of information for those 

 engaged in making farm butter, concerning the advantages of using clean milk 

 and commercial starters in butter making. Details are given for propagatmg 

 and preparing the starter for ripening the cream. 



Lactic cultures for dairy purposes (Michigan Sta. Circ. 7, pp. 53-55). — This 

 circular contains information of a popular nature on the use of pure cultures 

 of micro-organisms for dairy purposes. 



Report of the permanent butter-scoring exhibitions at Hango. 1908, 

 A. Andelin et al. {Landthr. Styr. McddcL, 1909. No. 72, pp. ,.^J).— Samples of 

 butter from 253 creameries were scored during the year and examined for water 

 content, leakage of brine, refractive index, and volatile acids. The water con- 

 tent ranged from 11.08 to 20.68 per cent and averaged 14.05 i»er cent ; 998 sam- 

 ples out of a total of 1,052 contained less than 16 per cent of water. The fig- 



