the flavor of the cheese, nor does it require any preliminary pre- 

 paration ; it is procurable at all times, and the plant is very 

 common. When the curd produced by this coagulant was put 

 into a dish, it at once formed a circular disc without the least 

 disintegration. The curd was then cut up with a clean bamboo 

 spatula, the greater part of the whey drained oflE, and the curds 

 were then evenly mixed up with finely-powdered salt at the rate 

 of 3;^ ounce to 1 gallon of the curds, and put under the press. 

 The quantity of cheese thus obtained from three ollocks of milk 

 was 2| ounces, or about 6^ ounces per Madras measure of milk. 

 The quantity of the salt added was found to have been excessive ; 

 probably half the quantity would have been quite sufficient. 

 The milk treated with the churn-milk took five hours to curdle, 

 and the curds were not firm ; and the curds in the other experi- 

 ments were even more inferior. It appears that the firmness of 

 the curds depends, not on the strength of acidity in the curdling 

 agent, but on the strength of some fermentative principle in it. 

 The extract of the Withania berries was prepared by simmering 

 half an ounce of the berries in one ollock of water for about four 

 hours on slow fire. 



" It has been found that the best results are obtained with Prayam 

 leaves when using 16 leaves to one measure of milk. The great 

 drawback to the use of this curdling agent is the necessity of 

 taking the milk to be curdled to the tree, as the minute globules 

 of juice, at the fracture where the leaf is broken from the branches, 

 drop ofl: in removing the leaves to the dairy. These experiments 

 will be continued. It may be possible to collect from the leaves 

 of Prayam bush the coagulating agent and to store it for future 



XI.-MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



Visitors during 1902.-The number of persons who visited the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens during the year 1902 was 1,323,376 ; that 

 for 1901 was 1,460,169. The average for 1892-1901 was 1,355,503. 

 ^.,f_*9*^^,^'^™^®^ o^ Sundays was 562,611, and on week-days 

 7bO,76o. The maximum number on any one day was 63,257 on 

 March 31, and the smallest 85 on February 3. 

 The detailed monthly returns are given below :— 



January 20,872 



February 19^502 



^arc^ 156,409 



^P"l 95,408 



May 157,068 



June 210,499 



July 172,959 



^«&ust 212,154 



September 162,467 



October 



63,524 



November '„ 32'947 



" 19,567 



Decembei 



