1909.] Summary of Agricultural Experiments. 759 



and it was found that the pasteurising of the Shorthorn milk appeared 

 to affect the colour and texture of the butter disadvantageous^, while 

 in the case of the Jersey milk no such result was seen. 



Ripening Cream. — Two lots of Channel Island cream were taken; 

 one lot was ripened with a pure lactic acid ferment and the other with 

 a lactic ferment which had become contaminated. The butter from the 

 latter, although in appearance, texture and colour as good as the other, 

 had a most unpleasant smell and taste, thus showing the care necessary 

 to be taken to see that the starter is pure and free from contamination. 

 This applies equally whether the starter be butter-milk from a previous 

 churning or a lactic acid ferment specially manufactured. 



Colouring of Milk. — The demonstrations carried out at the Lincoln 

 Show with the object of pointing out that the public are taken in by 

 the practice of colouring milk were repeated at Newcastle. Four bottles 

 were filled : (i) with Jersey milk, (2) with white milk from another 

 breed, (3) with separated milk coloured to be deeper than the Jersey, 

 and (4) with separated milk without any colouring matter, and the 

 opinion of the public on them was ascertained. On every occasion, 

 the coloured separated milk obtained the most votes, the Jersey came 

 next, while the uncoloured separated milk received no votes at all, 

 showing that while the public could discriminate between separated and 

 new milk, so long as no colouring matter was employed, they were 

 unable to distinguish between the coloured separated milk and genuine 

 milk of the best quality. 



Wensleydale Cheese. — Cheeses were made with milk from Shorthorn, 

 Red Poll, Jersey, Guernsey and Kerry cows with the object of ascer- 

 taining whether the richer milks from the Channel Island cattle were 

 suitable for making this class of cheese, and whether the cost would 

 be the same. The result appeared to show that the milks richer in fat 

 made better cheese than those containing less fat, but the colour of the 

 richer cheese was deeper than the accepted colour of a Wensleydale. 

 Assuming the milks to be of equal value, the cost of making Wensleydale 

 cheeses from the richer milks was less than from the poorer milks, and 

 in addition the profit on the cheese made from the richer milks would 

 be more than the difference in weight discloses, because, in addition to 

 the excess of weight, the higher price obtainable for a better quality 

 cheese must be taken into consideration. 



Foreign and Colonial Experiments. 



Dressing Seed as a Protection against Birds.- — Experiments have 

 been conducted by the German Imperial Biological Institute with a 

 view to ascertain the degree to which seed can be protected from 

 the attacks of birds, particularly rooks, by dressing it so as to give 

 it an unusual colour, or an objectionable taste or smell. 



The colours used were blue, red, and green, and the following 

 proportions were found most effective : — For every 100 parts by weight 

 of seed, o'2 part of glue dissolved in 8 parts of water, with 2*0 parts of 

 red colour, or from 0*5 to i'o part of Prussian blue, or 0*4 part of 

 aniline green. The colour dressing did not affect the germinating 

 capacity of the seed. 



For the purpose of imparting a flavour to the seed, powdered alum, 

 Glauber's salt, a preparation called Fichtenin, and a solution of tobacco 



