Journal of Agriculture. [lo Sept., 1909, 



111 Collingwood the average numl)er of infants dying under twelve 

 nKjiiths for the i)ast three years has, during tlie first half of the year, been 

 41.6. During the first half of this year only 31 deaths occurred under 

 twehe months, the lowest number recorded for many years. If the Board 

 had been able to supplv milk from the previous Novemlier, many of these 

 deaths would have been prevented. In the city of Melbourne, exclusive 

 of hospitals, the average number of deaths under a year old for the fir.st 

 half of the! past fhree years has been 110: this year only 89 deaths 

 occurred, the lowest figure yet reached. In I'rahran the average has been 

 38.6. whereas here again the lowest figures ha\e been obtained this year, 

 only T^2 infants dving under twehe months. V\\ Richmond the average 

 numter of deaths for the first half of the past three years has been 43.6; 

 this vear onl\- 34 infants died. In South Melljourne the number of in- 

 fants dying under twelve months in the first half of this year was 50: 

 the average for the past three }ears has been 39.6. The Board hopes 

 that during the ensuing summer the South Melbourne Council will co- 

 operate \\ith it and endeavour to reduce this waste of infant life. 



In Melbourne and the sul>urbs over 1,200 infants die each year. The 

 Board feels confident that if it receives generous supiKirt in its work from 

 the councils, the various charitable trusts and the public, it can save at 

 lea.st 300 of these lives, besides helping the coming generation of children 

 to far healthier constitutions, and at the same time improving the surround- 

 ings in the poorer homes. 



The Australian-born infant must always be looked upon as the best 

 immigrant for the State, and as a communit\ we must condemn ourselves 

 for neglecting to prevent this preventable waste of infant life. The mem- 

 l)ers of the Board have not spared themselves in working up the details of 

 this life-saving work, but their efforts will come to naught unless they 

 meet with a very active response from the Government and all those in 

 whose }x>wer it lies to give them substantial assistance. The payment of 

 a secretarv and nurses for the ensuing twelve months will alone exhaust 

 the Board's present funds, leaving mithing availal)le for the milk or it;" 

 distribution. 



Sanharv Methods Adopted kx F.\rm. 



The s])ecial ])rovisions that have Ijeen carried out at the faim towards 

 obtaining milk free from disea.se-jjroducing germs and other forms of 

 deleterious contamination, have included means for insuring: — 



{a) The freeilom from tuberculosis, and ilu- continued maintenance 



')f the healthfulness of the h<'rd ; 

 ill) Sanitars construction and eleinl\ maintenance of the premises 



and surroundings in which the cows are milked; 

 (f) Especial care in connexion with the milking ; and 

 (c/) SpLfial treatment and handling of the milk while <jn the farin 

 premises. 

 Health of Herd.— The whole of the cows in the lind, ])rior to the 

 u.se of. the milk for Institute purpo.ses, were tested with tuberculin bv ;■> 

 Government veterinary officer for tulx'rculosis. Two re-acted to the test, 

 and were immediatelv removed from the herd. All the cows that have 

 been introduced since have been purchased subject to the tuberculin test, 

 and only non-reacting animals retained. Careful manual examination ot 

 the udders of all the cows has been made at frequent intervals, and this 

 examination has been supportt'd by bacteriological tests for coccat 



