April 22, 1892.] 



SCIENCE. 



2^1 



ten years ago, a change mainly owing to direct and indirect 

 clerical influence; and it is therefore gratifying to find an 

 eminent teacher like Topinard, boldly pronouncing in its 

 favor, and declaring that it is the only possible theory ad- 

 equate to explain known facts in the physical history of the 

 human species. 



The author makes frequent reference to his larger work 

 " Elements d' Anthropologic General "; but the instructions 

 -for practical observations and the abstracts of the results of 

 ■other investigators furnished in the present much smaller 

 volume, will be sufficient to satisfy those students of the 

 subject who feel themselves somewhat appalled by the 

 nearly twelve hundred closely printed pages of the '"Ele- 

 ments." 



Some Native Brazilian Tribes. 



A model ethnographic study is that of some Brazilian 

 trihes by Dr. Paul Ehrenreich, published in the second vol- 

 ume of the Veraffentlichung aus dem Kaniglichen Museum 

 fur Volkerkunde zu Bei'lin. He takes up the Karaya stock 

 on the river Araguaya, and some tribes, the Pauraari, the 

 "Yamamadi and the Ipuriua ou the Purus River. His des- 

 criptions meet all our requirements except in the important 

 matter of language. This he no doubt designedly omits; 

 Ihough he mentions that among the Karaya the men and 

 women have separate dialects, rarely, however, radically 

 .different words. 



Of these little-known peoples he describes the costume, 

 liouse-building, methods of obtaining food, tools, and wea- 

 pons, etc. It is curious to note the love of the Karayas for 

 itaming animals. "Their villages resemble menageries." 

 Dogs, fowls, cats, peccaries, parrots, even turtles, alligators 

 .and tapirs, meet the astonished traveller. The native does 

 not look upon them as "lower animals," but quite on the 

 same plane of existence as himself, and as his friends and 

 (Companions. 



The history and extension of the tribes are defined, and a 

 number of admirable photogravures set forth truthfully to 

 .the eye their physical characteristics. 



A MACHINE FOR CHURNING FRESH MILK. 



In Bulletin No. LX. of the Delaware experiment station 

 ^Newark, Del.,) are given the results of a series of experi- 

 iments made to determine the practical value of the batter 

 extractor, a maehioe with which butter may be made directly 

 from the freshly drawn milk. 



In principle this machine resembles the DeLaval separa- 

 tor, which has now come into general use in creameries and 

 large dairies, by which the cream is separated from sweet 

 inilk by centrifugal motion, but the butter extractor goes a 

 step farther, and not only separates but churns the cream. 



The machine operated with was made by an American 

 company. It was found to require considerable experience 

 lo operate it successfully, and the tests upon which the 

 station's comparisons are based were made under the per- 

 sonal supervision of the manufacturers of the machine. 

 The results were that it was found that while the separator 

 and churn obtained 93.31 pounds of butter out of every 100 

 pounds in the milk, the extractor obtained but 81.60 pounds, 

 £i loss of 8 74 pounds, and the butter thus obtained was of 

 such quality that it could not be sold in competition with 

 butter made from ripened cream. 



In summing up the results of his tests Professor Penny, 

 the chemist of tlie station savs : — 



"As to the relative expense of running in the one case 

 the extractor alone and in the other the separator and churn 

 together, it is doubtful if a creamery having only one ma- 

 chine would save anything in the number of hands em- 

 ployed, while in larger establishments the loss, greater by 

 8.74 per cent, caused by the extractor is heavier than the 

 saving in wages. On a daily business of five thousand 

 pounds of milk this deficiency is equal to fifteen or seven- 

 teen pounds of butter, yet such a business with the separator 

 and churn need not employ more than two men, and the 

 extractor could hai-dly employ fewer. The expense for 

 power, etc., is nearly the same in the two cases. It must 

 also be considered that while the separator i-equires the milk 

 to be previously heated during much of the year — a simple 

 and cheap operation — the extractor requires it to be cooled, 

 at least in warm weather, and this calls for a greater supply 

 of cool water or of ice — a decided disadvantage and in some 

 creameries an unwarranted expense. 



" Hence one feels justified in concluding that, if the 

 quality of the butter be left out of the account, the extrac- 

 tor at present offers no substantial advantage that is not 

 outweighed by defects, and that it would not allow any sav- 

 ing iu expense over the process it is designed to supplant. 



" Run as a separator alone under good conditions, this 

 machine ought to give most excellent results, though in 

 common with the DeLaval, and doubtless others, it varies 

 greatly in skimming power, from causes that are partly un- 

 known. As a skimmer it may be considered strictly first- 

 class. 



" Although the extractor appears unfavorably in compari- 

 son with a much older method, it cannot but be regarded as 

 a marvel of inventive and mechanical skill. The surprise 

 is in the first instance that it should do its work at all, and 

 then, even though it be found wanting, that it should do its 

 work so well. It is brouffht at the start into competition 

 with a highly perfected machine and a method thoroughly 

 understood from many years of experience. Its shortcom- 

 ing under the severe test lo which it is obliged to submit 

 ought not to be cause of disappointment; there is room 

 rather for encouragement, because it has done so much. Its 

 future development is probably a question of the relative 

 merits of sweet-cream butter and sour-cream butter. 



" If experience and an educated taste shall finally favor 

 the former, the extractor may be expected to take the place 

 of the separator and the churn. But unless the decision 

 shall fall in that direction, it is doubtful if the new device 

 ever comes into general use." 



It should be added to the foregoing that the comparison 

 was made with- the most perfect method of separating cream 

 from milk now known. Had the extractor been compared 

 with the old method of raising cream, the outcome would have 

 been less unfavorable, as the separator gets out more cream 

 than can be raised by gravity. 



THE HIGHER EDUCATION OF THE DEAF.' 



National Deaf-Mute College, 



"Washington, D.C, April 1, 1893. 

 A. L. E. Crouter, A.M., Principal: 



My Dear Sir.— Your suggestions have received my most serious 

 consideration. Allow me to thank you for the assurances of your 

 friendly regard for the college and vour appreciation of the value 

 of the work it has already done. More grateful to the officers of 

 the college than any written words could be, is the record of your 



1 Reply or President Gallaudet to the letter by Principal Crouter publlatieil 

 insolence for Aprils. Keprluted from the Silent Woi Id. 



