9io Effect on Milk of Water given to Cows, [feb., 



must be cut early in the year, soon after it comes above 

 ground, and the cutting should be repeated as frequently as 

 possible throughout the season. For every shoot sent above 

 ground the thistle uses some of its stored material, and if the 

 stems and leaves, which are the plant's machinery for making 

 more food, are destroyed as soon as they appear, exhaustion 

 and death will certainly result. Both old and young plants 

 must be dealt with in this way. A short rotation, with 

 thorough cultivation and the free use of the hoe in two or 

 three successive root crops, is perhaps the most certain means 

 of killing this pest. 



Badly infested land may be laid down to grass for a few 

 years, when the weed will be crowded out. Small patches 

 of this weed may be dealt with in the same way as in the 

 case of the Chalk Thistle, by covering them with large sheets 

 of strong tarred paper. 



Heavy crops of lucerne, vetches and maize tend to crowd 

 out thistles of all kinds, and where it can be grown success- 

 fully maize is especially useful, as it casts a dense shade and 

 is also thoroughly hoed. 



Alleged Indirect Adulteration of Milk. — The attention of 

 the Board was called during the past year to notices in the 

 Press as to the conviction of a dairy- 

 man in the French Courts for selling 



Effect on Milk adulterated milk. This conviction was 

 of Water or , , .. . • . . 



Watery Food given based on the assum P tlon that * 1S 

 to Cows. possible to water milk either by feed- 



ing cows on watery food, or by causing 

 them to drink water in large quantities, 

 or immediately before being milked. The Board were not 

 aware of any sufficient evidence to show that when the 

 total supply of nourishment is sufficient it is possible to 

 increase the quantity of the milk, at the expense of the 

 quality, by these means; and as they considered that the 

 dissemination of incorrect information on this subject among 

 Officers of Local Authorities and others might lead to hard- 

 ships to dairymen, they referred the matter to the Agricul- 

 tural Education Association, and arranged with them to 



