358 NATURAL SCIENCE. Nov., 



the ease of contamination in the various processes, that even sterilised 

 milk is rarely absolutely free from spores by the time it reaches the 

 consumer. Moreover, the cost of the process is considerable ; the 

 constitution of the milk is altered, and the flavour is that of cooked 

 milk. The process invented many years ago by Pasteur consists 

 in the exposure of the milk for a short time to a temperature of about 

 140° Fahr. By this means, although spores are not destroyed, all the 

 bacteria in the milk are destroyed, and consequently it keeps for 

 a longer time than untreated milk. As the lactic acid bacteria do not 

 form spores in milk, they are completely destroyed, and when the 

 Pasteurised milk does begin to go wrong, it does not become 

 disagreeable to the taste and useless for cooking purposes. More- 

 over, by Pasteur's process the fresh flavour is not destroyed, and the 

 constitution of the milk is altered only sHghtly. 



The " Bulletin " is, no doubt, too advanced for dairymaids, but 

 we hope that it will reach the hands of all dairy teachers and 

 technical instructors. And in especial we hope that it will reach the 

 hands of the technical instruction committees and university 

 authorities, who are subsidising and directing the agricultural depart- 

 ments of colleges and universities in England. For such persons are 

 taking up the work of teaching agriculture vigorously enough, if not 

 always wisely ; but proper experimental work, such as this of the 

 University of Wisconsin, is still sadly to seek in England. 



Biology under the Essex County Council. 



Biology Notes, no. 6, March, 1895, County of Essex Technical Instruction, 

 County Technical Laboratories, Chelmsford. 



This excellent little periodical is an indication that biology is being 

 taught practically and intelligently under the provisions made by the 

 Technical Instruction Committee of the Essex County Council. The 

 number now before us contains some useful notes upon the practical 

 aids to technical instruction wanted in the county. The writer urges 

 the formation of a natural history museum in every town. We are by 

 no means certain that this suggestion is practicable. A local museum 

 soon degenerates into a mere collection of useless rubbish, unless a 

 laro"e annual income can be secured to provide for the maintenance of 

 the collection by a skilled curator. It would be more practicable to 

 have a central museum in the county, and to make arrangements for 

 the issue to local schools and classes of typical loan collections illus- 

 trating the chief local minerals and fossils, the structure of plants and 

 animals and so forth. 



For another suggestion made by the same writer we have nothing 

 but the highest praise. There should be attached to every elementary 

 school in the county a small experimental garden. A plot of a few 

 yards square is all the space required, and the necessary seeds, 

 cuttings, and manures, with appropriate directions, could be issued 

 at periodical intervals from the central laboratories at Chelmsford. 



Among the features of special interest in the March number are 

 well-arranged notes for " Practical Lessons in Botany." These 

 should be of great use to the local teachers who are conducting classes 

 under the auspices of the Council. 



The Index to Flowering Plants. 



On the loth of October the fourth and last fasciculus of Mr. Daydon 

 Jackson's colossal task, the " Index Kewensis Plantarum Phanero- 

 p-amarum," was published. This includes Psidium Gardneviamim to 



