12 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Bulletins issued. 



Meteorological bulletins have been issued monthly, as usual, 

 and in addition the station has published and distributed four 

 other bulletins, — two on fertilizers, one on the inspection of 

 concentrates and one on market milk. 



The fertilizer bulletins, Nos. 109 and 111, have presented 

 the analyses of the fertilizers officially examined under the 

 fertilizer law, as well as the analyses of a considerable num- 

 ber of soils and the more abundant miscellaneous materials 

 possessing fertilizer value, wdiich are sent in by the general 

 public. They have also included brief discussions of the 

 results. 



The bulletin on the inspection of concentrates. No. 108, 

 besides presenting the results of the analyses of food stuffs 

 collected under the feed law, included much valuable in- 

 formation on the general subject of food stuffs and their use. 



The bulletin on market milk, No. 110, included: first, gen- 

 eral discussion of the composition and value of milk as food; 

 second, it presented the results of an examination into the 

 conditions under which the milk marketed in parts of North- 

 ampton and Amherst is jjroduced, as well as the results of a 

 critical examination of samples of this milk. The milk was 

 subjected to ]3hysical, chemical and bacteriological tests, for 

 the purpose of determining its quality, value and suitability 

 as human food. The results are carefully and fully discussed, 

 and some of the more important conclusions presented were 

 as follow^s : Very little milk showed evidence of adulteration, 

 and most of it was sweet. The larger part of it was above the 

 average in chemical composition. Bacteria were especially 

 numerous in the product of cows kept under uncleanly con- 

 ditions, and such samples were far too numerous. Many 

 samples showed barny or disagreeable smell, apparently due 

 to the fact that the milk was allowed to stand too long in the 

 stable after milking. The general conclusion was, that a 

 great deal of the milk offered for general consumption w\as 

 not produced under satisfactory sanitary conditions. The 

 bulletin concludes with brief, important and pointed practical 

 suggestions both to producers and to consumers. 



