1909.] Milk Control Societies in Germany. 583 



Butter can be made commercially from sweet pasteurised 

 cream without the addition of a starter. Fresh butter made 

 in this way has a flavour too mild to suit the average dealer, 

 but it changes less during storage than butter made by the 

 ordinary method. 



In recent years an attempt has been made, with some 

 success, to introduce into Germany the Danish methods of 

 "milk control." According to an in- 

 Milk Tests and q uil T made h Y the German Agricul- 

 Milk Control Societies tural Society,* there were at the end 

 in Germany. of 1908, 207 control societies in opera- 

 tion, representing 3,005 members and 

 88,296 cows, or about 15 members and 425 cows to each 

 society. 



The object of these societies is, briefly, to enable the 

 farmer, by a system of milk-testing, combined with the keep- 

 ing of careful records, to check the yield of each cow in his 

 herd, with a view to the elimination of those which appear 

 unprofitable. The system adopted is to employ a young 

 man to visit the farms of members at regular intervals and 

 weigh and record the milk yield and other particulars. 



These young men are commonly farmers' sons who have 

 had some training at a dairy school, and undertake the work 

 as a means of gaining experience. They receive a small 

 salary (^30-^50), with travelling expenses and free board 

 and lodging at the farms they visit. Their work is generally 

 supervised by some of the officials belonging to a neighbour- 

 ing breeding society or winter school. 



The milk yield of each cow, and its fat content, is ascer- 

 tained by the tester, or if there is an institution close by 

 where milk testing is done, samples may be sent to it, instead 

 of being tested on the spot. When the animals are stall-fed 

 a record is kept of the amount of food used, and a scale is 

 adopted for adjusting the quantity of food to the milk yield, f 



The records of the milk-yield thus obtained are found to be 

 of the greatest assistance in improving the breed of cattle, and 



* Mitt, der Deutschen Land-. Gesellschaft, 13th March, 1909. 

 t See "Milk Testing in Denmark/' Journal, April, 1905, p. 21. 



