SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—M. 471 
of growers over a very short period requires an elaborate system of con- 
trolled delivery in order to secure level and regular supplies throughout 
the manufacturing season. 
Dr. W. L. Davies.—Beet taint in milk (11.30). 
Home-produced beet molasses contain about 5:4 per cent., molassed 
beet pulp about 1-8 per cent., and the dry matter of beet tops about 1°5 per 
cent. of betaine. When fed to cows, these foods sometimes impart a beety 
or fishy taint to milk. 
When betaine is metabolised in the ruminant, from 20 to 40 per cent. of 
the nitrogen is excreted as trimethylamine oxide; a well-defined peak of 
excretion is shown at 3 hours and onwards after feeding, the time taken to 
reach the peak depending on the amount of betaine fed. A high concentra- 
tion of the oxide therefore exists in the blood before this peak is reached and the 
possibility of infiltration of the oxide into milk secreted in this period is greatest 
at this time. Elimination of the oxide from the blood is accompanied by 
its elimination from the milk back into the blood. Milk fat interacts with 
the labile oxygen of the oxide, forming either an addition compound at the 
double bond of the oleic acid radicle or a peroxide and free trimethylamine, 
thus conferring a fishy flavour to the milk. 
Prevention of the taint rests in minimising the amount of trimethylamine 
oxide entering the milk by feeding reasonable amounts of the by-products as 
far offfrom the subsequent milking as possible and not feeding to cows which 
in secreting abnormal milk allow larger quantities of soluble blood con- 
stituents to enter the milk. 
Discussion on above papers (11.50). 
AFTERNOON. 
JornT Discussion with Section K (Botany) and Department K* (Forestry) 
on The utilisation of light land, with special reference to Breckland 
(Section K room) (2.0). See under Section K, p. 450. ; 
Tuesday, September 10. 
Dr. J. Hammonp, F.R.S.—The quality problem in relation to meat pro- 
duction (10.0). 
The definition of quality in meat is that which the consumer likes best. 
This has been changing in three main directions lately, towards : (1) smaller 
joints, (2) leaner meat, and (3) more tender meat. The main factors 
affecting quality in the different classes of meat are discussed in detail. 
Veal is the only meat in which the value per stone increases as the carcase 
weight increases. In beef, tenderness is the main requirement: this can 
be obtained, from young beef, by ‘ finishing ’ the animal well, and by proper 
hanging before sale. For the three reasons mentioned above, the demand 
for lamb is increasing ; an animal with short bones and thick muscles, 
giving a blocky joint at an early age, is required. ‘The general proportions 
of the carcase needed for both bacon and pork are the same, but the weight 
