1909.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 753 



forestry will be exempted from both, and candidates who 

 have obtained the diploma in economics or the diploma in 

 forestry will be exempted from the diploma examination in 

 those subjects. 



In addition to granting the diploma in agriculture, the 

 University also recognises rural economy as a subject for the 

 ordinary B.A. degree. The scope of the subject for this 

 purpose is the same as that included under principles of agri- 

 culture in the diploma course. 



SUMMARY OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS. 

 Milk, Butter, and Cheese. 



Milk Records. — (Edinburgh and E. of Scotland Coll. of Agric, Bull. 

 XV.). — An experimental inquiry into the yield and composition of the 

 milk of the dairy herd at the County Asylum, Rosslynlee, was commenced 

 in 1905, and reports on the subject appeared in the Journal, July, 

 1907 (p. 205), and March, 1909 (p. 953). 



The scope of the investigation is to determine the daily yield of 

 milk of each cow, to ascertain the quality of the milk by weekly 

 analyses, and to use the information so obtained as a guide to the 

 improvement of the herd by selection and breeding. The latter is natur- 

 ally a slow process, but even in three years an improvement seems to 

 have taken place. 



The influence of the hours of milking on the composition of the 

 morning and evening milk has been very noticeable. In 1905, the 

 intervals between the hours of milking were 9! and 14! hours respect- 

 ively. The morning milk was much poorer in fat than the evening 

 milk, the difference in average percentage being no less than '65. In 

 the following year some improvement in the hours was effected, and the 

 difference in the percentage was reduced from "65 to '49. A further 

 improvement was made in 1907-8, the hours of milking being 5 a.m. 

 and 4 p.m., giving intervals of eleven and thirteen hours respectively, 

 with the result that the difference between the percentage of fat in 

 the morning and evening milk has now been reduced to '22. 



The great difference between cows as milk producers is very clearly 

 brought out in this investigation. Of eighteen cows that were in the 

 herd for the whole year, the heaviest milker gave 1,224 gallons, worth, 

 at 6|J. per gallon, ^34 8s., while the poorest cow yielded only 438 

 gallons worth £12 6s. The average yield of the eighteen cows was 

 860 gallons, containing 3*56 per cent, of fat in the morning milk and 

 378 per cent, in the evening milk. 



Effect of Brewers' Grains on Milk. — (Durham C.C., Education Com., 

 Offerton Bull., No. 3). — Experiments to test the effect of brewers' grains 

 on the quantity and quality of milk were carried out on behalf of the 

 Durham C.C. at Offerton Hall in 1905-6, and were reported in this 

 Journal, May, 1907 (p. 87). The experiments were continued in 1907-8, 

 ten cows being selected and divided into two lots of five each. They 

 were fed on a ration of 4 lb. maize meal, 2 lb. Bombay cottoncake, 3 lb. 



3 G 



