- 427 



cows gained rather more in weight while they were receiving the 

 soy bean cake than they did on the decorticated cotton cake. 



An experiment on similar lines was conducted at the Royal 

 Agricultural College, Cirencester. Six cows were selected from 

 the College herd, and divided into two lots of three each, care 

 being taken that the age, period of lactation, and quantities of milk 

 per day were as nearly equal as possible. The* cows were turned 

 out to grass on April 5th, and the experiment lasted from. April i2th 

 to May gth. The daily rations were 35 Ib. pulped mangolds, 6-8 Ib. 

 chaff, 2 Ib. ground oats, i Ib. bran, and a small allowance of hay. 

 Lot I. received, in addition, 4 Ib. soy bean cake, and Lot II. 4 Ib. 

 decorticated cotton cake; the bean cake contained 6 per cent, of 

 oil and 40 per cent, of albuminoids and cost 6 los. per ton.; 

 while the cotton cake contained 8 per cent, of oil and 34 per cent, 

 of albuminoids, and cost 7 los. per ton. 



The yield of milk appeared to be little affected by the kind of 

 cake used. The percentage of butter-fat in the case of the bean 

 cake remained almost constant, a slight increase, if anything, being 

 noticed: with the decorticated cotton cake the percentage of butter- 

 fat had a tendency to fall. 



The butter produced by the bean cake was of a soft, oily na- 

 ture and quickly churned, but it yielded well. It was, however, 

 of a decidedly paler colour and somewhat inferior flavour as com- 

 pared with that from cotton cake. The butter produced by the 

 decorticated cotton cake was hard, and took a longer time to churn. 

 The yield, however, was not so good as from the bean cake. No 

 difference in laxative effect or otherwise was observed in the two 

 cakes. " 



G. ARCHDALL REID. The Laws of Heredity, with a diagram- 

 matic representation by Prof. H. H. Turner. Pp. xi-|-548. 

 London, Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1910, price 2is. Reviewed in 

 Nature, vol. 84, July 7, 1910, by W. T. Thiselton-Dyer. 



" Dr. Archdall Reid thinks, and no doubt rightly, that ' the 

 main reason against a full acceptance of the Darwinian doctrine ' 

 is ' the retrogression of useless parts and organs. ' His solution of 

 this difficult problem is one of the most novel and interesting things 

 in his book, and will probably be subjected to most criticism. 

 Thirty two yearlings, costing 51520 guineas, only produced two 

 winners. From this and similar cases he draws the inference that 

 retrogression preponderates over progression. 



