1908.] 



Miscellaneous Notes. 



335 



structures. This is the first condition of a change to the "green rose" monstrosity, 

 when all the parts of the flower become green. 



The cause of this condition is not known, but. when a plant once shows a tendency 

 to produce morbid flowers, it usually proceeds more and more in that direction. It is 

 therefore advisable that such deformed types should be rooted up and burned. 



Fruit Trees damaged by Frost. — Specimens of cuttings from cherry trees from 

 Suckley (Worcs.), were found to have been killed by frost, while apple shoots, &c, 

 from Tiverton and Brixham (Devon), were also primarily injured by frost, certain 

 fungi being present only as secondary agents. The mildness of the past few autumns 

 has allowed a continuance of growth up to the time of appearance of frost, the result 

 being that the imperfectly matured wood has in some cases suffered. 



Analyses at the Government Laboratory. — The number of samples examined at the 

 Government Laboratory for the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries in the year ended 

 31st March, 1908, was 2,303 as compared with 2,429 in the previous year, and of 

 these 1,992 were samples of butter, margarine, cheese, &c, taken at the ports by 

 Customs officers. The principal chemist of the Government Laboratory (Dr. Thorpe), 

 in bis annual report,* states that there has been a reduction in the number of samples 

 ( f imported butter taken during the year owing to the fact that the receipts of butter 

 i - om places concerned in its adulteration has largely diminished, owing doubtless to 

 I he prosecutions undertaken by the Customs. Importers in this country are exercising 

 i:are to obtain butter from sources that can be relied on, since the onus of defending a 

 prosecution falls on the importer, and not on the foreign exporter. During the year 

 1907-8 none of the samples has afforded conclusive evidence of adulteration with 

 foreign fat, and in only a few cases has the butter been of a suspicious character. 

 Dr. Thorpe remarks that butter of the character of the samples concerning which 

 legal proceedings were taken in T905 and 1906 entirely disappeared in the past year. 

 There has also been a reduction in the number of samples found to contain water in 

 excess of the legal limit. 



Besides the samples of imported produce, numerous other samples were analysed 

 for the Board at the Government Laboi-atory, as well as eighty-two samples referred 

 by magistrates under the Food and Drugs Act, and five samples referred by the Board 

 under the Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1906. 



Departmental Committee on the Meat Supply. — The President of the Board of 

 Trade has appointed Lord Robert Cecil, K.C., M.P. (Chairman); Mr. C. W. 

 Bowerman, M.P. ; Sir T. H. Elliott, K.C.B. ; Mr. W. Field, M.P. ; Mr. H. 

 Fountain ; Mr. W. Dudley Ward, M.P. ; and Mr. William Weddel, to be a Com- 

 mittee to inquire how far and in what manner the general supply, distribution and 

 price of meat in the United Kingdom are controlled or affected by any combination 

 of firms or companies. Mr. P. Ashley, of the Board of Trade, will act as Secretary 

 to the Committee. 



Disinfection of Hides Imported into the United States. — With reference to the 

 revised regulations, given in this Journal^ April, 1907, p. 66, the Board are now 

 informed that the United States Treasury Department have requested the Department 

 of State to instruct American Consular officers to refuse to certify invoices covering 

 hides for shipment to the United States when it is known to the Consular officers that 

 anthrax is prevalent in their respective Consular districts, unless such hides be 

 disinfected prior to shipment by immersion for thirty minutes in a solution of 

 bichloride of mercury (1 in 1,000), such instructions to apply to all hides of neat 

 cattle, including those which have been dry-salted or arsenic-cured, but should have 

 no application to hides shipped from districts other than those in which anthrax is, 

 known to be prevalent. 



* Cd. 4157. Price id. 



(3864) 



2 B 



