CHAPTEK XXIV. 



DEDUCTIONS FROM ANALYSIS. 



Limits and Standards of Milk. The President of the Board 

 of Agriculture and Fisheries has laid down, after enquiry had 

 been made by a Departmental Committee on Milk Standards 

 appointed by him, the limits of 3-0 per cent, of fat and 8-5 per 

 cent, of solids not fat ; a presumption is raised, till the contrary 

 is proved, -that any milk yielding figures on analysis below these 

 limits is not genuine, but in the former case has been deprived 

 of a portion of its cream, and in the latter has been adulterated 

 by water. 



The figures are identical with the limits previously adopted, 

 unofficially, by the Society of Public Analysts ; in practice the 

 official adoption of the figures has resulted in a strengthening 

 of the limits ; the wording of Clause 4 of the Sale of Food and 

 Drugs Act, 1899, has transferred the onus of proof from the 

 prosecution to the defence. These limits do not represent the 

 absolute minima yet found, as will be seen readily by referring 

 to the figures previously quoted, but are limits below which 

 mixed milk of a herd of cows may be reasonably expected not 

 to fall. Vieth, in discussing the question how far they could 

 be applied to all milks, has written : " My object is by no means 

 to raise the cry that the standard adopted by the Society is 

 too high ; on the contrary, I think it is very judiciously fixed, 

 but, in upholding the standard of purity, it should not be for- 

 gotten that the cows have never been asked for, nor have given 

 their assent to it, and that they will at times produce milk below 

 standard. A bad season for hay-making is, in my experience, 

 almost invariably followed by a particularly low depression in 

 the quality of the milk towards the end of the winter. Should 

 the winter be of unusual severity and length, the depression 

 will be still more marked. Long spells of cold and w^t, as well 

 as of heat and drought, during the time when cows are kept 

 on pasture, also unfavourably influence the quality, and, I may 

 add, quantity of milk." 



Table CXXII. will show the probable number of samples per 

 100,000 examined which may be expected to be found between 

 the percentages named. 



354 



