450 Journal of Agrictilturt. [ii July. 1910. 



The following is an extract from the report: — 



There has been a further reduction in the number of imported samples taken 

 for the year. Since it has not been considered necessary to sample with such 

 frequency consignments of butter arriving from sources which are under Govern- 

 ment control or inspection in the country of origin, particular attention has, how- 

 ever, been paid to those sources of supply which experience has shown have been con- 

 nected with sophisticated butter, but as buyers are purchasing less of this class of 

 butter, the number of samples taken is consequently reduced. 



There has been a further decrease in the number of samples found to contain 

 water in excess of the legal limit. In the present ve.ir the number is nine as 

 against si.xteen for 1907-8 and thirteen for 1906-7. 



From this it will be seen what advantages are gained hv taking steps 

 to secure and retain the confidence of countries to which our butter goes. 



Instructional Work. 



During the slack of the season, officers of the Department who examine 

 the butter for export devote their attention to butter factories and give 

 advice upon the buildings and plant; water supply and its suitability; 

 drainage and provision for its sanitary disposal ; cream collection and its 

 relation to quality ; cream cans, their cleanliness and condition ; methods 

 of grading, sampling, and testing of cream; the cooling and maturing of 

 cream ; temperatures of churning and means of controlling same ; manu- 

 facture and packing of butter, and the over-run. 



Rusty Cans. 



Last season, I had occasion to emphasize the amount of damage incurred 

 through the use of rusty cans by dairymen. Much good has been done 

 by butter factories since then with the assistance of officers of the Depart- 

 ment. By taking up the task of repairing faulty cans and debiting owners 

 without consulting them many factories have overcome the difficulty. Not- 

 withstanding the good work done, much more remains to be accomplished. 

 It is quite a pleasure to visit some dairy farms and see the 10 or 12 

 milk cans nicely ranged under a verandah, spotlessly clean, in striking- 

 contrast with other places where the cans are used for holding slops, sour 

 skim milk, and for carting water in cases of emergency. Hundreds of 

 cans are ruined through being used for water carting. By this means a new 

 vessel can be rendered unfit in less than a week, and made a contaminating 

 medium for all milk or cream subsequently put into it. 



I strongly recommend factories that have not already done so to take 

 up the firm attitude of having all faulty cans repaired at the owner's charge. 

 pending legislation on the subject to force such damaging utensils out of use. 



Milking Machines. 



The milking machines in ^'ictoria have now been running for half a 

 dozen years with varied results. As was anticipated by some at the 

 beginning, many plants are rusting, whilst in other places they are regarded 

 as an unqualified success. Strange to say, the successful asers are to be 

 found in groups, due most likely to careful instruction by experts when 

 installed and to continued attention by the users. To run milking-machines 

 properly requires a rare combination of qualifications, but first and fore- 

 most the user must be a dairyman, and understand cows thoroughly. The 

 udders must be carefullv washed, and each quarter checked before attaching 

 a machine. The work must be re-checked immediately after detaching 

 and before the cows are dismissed. 



The user of a milking-machine must also be a mechanic and a resource- 

 ful one at that. He should undergo a thorough training if complete 



