148 Summary of Agricultural Experiments, [may, 
Quantities of sterile milk were inoculated and submitted to fer- 
mentation tests, and were found to possess the same unmistakable 
properties as were exhibited by the original sample. Experiments of 
this nature were repeated with various milks, fresh, pasteurised, and 
sterilised, until it became evident that the trouble was a bacterial one. 
The adoption of the usual methods for the isolation in pure culture of 
bacteria resulted in the discovery of the organism, which is of the 
general type of Leichmann's Bacterium lactis acidi, and which, on 
inoculation into the milk, first produces the distinctive aroma referred 
to, and later brings about coagulation. 
In the spring of last year the same trouble arose in the milk 
bought by the College for manipulation in the dairy, and since that 
time its occurrence has been intermittent. This intermittent nature of 
its recurrence has been one of the most prominent features observed 
during the investigation, particularly during the early part of the year. 
The contamination has been traced to a particular farm, but as yet 
the actual source of the organism has not been definitely determined. 
Mr. Sadler purposes to continue his investigations during the present 
year. 
While the effect of this organism on milk intended for consumption 
as such is well-nigh disastrous, the result of its action on butter and 
cheese is very marked, and without doubt it might be the cause of 
much loss if it should arise in the dairy. Butter and cheese made from 
milk inoculated with a culture of the organism were found to have 
the characteristic flavour and aroma, and were both unpalatable and 
unsaleable. Butter was also made from the cream inoculated with a 
good lactic acid starter and a culture of the organism. In this experi- 
ment the flavour and aroma were sufficiently evident to prove that 
butter made from cream thus contaminated would have a poor market 
value, even when a good starter is added with a view to overcome the 
taint. 
Milking-Machine Experiments in Belgium (Revue Generate Agrono- 
mique, December, 1910). — Trials have been made at the Zootechnical 
Institute of the University of Louvain of the " Alfa-Dalen " milking- 
machine. With a view to determining whether milking by the 
machine was more thorough than by hand, experiments were carried 
out in which four cows were milked by hand for ten days and by 
machine for the succeeding sixteen days. In each case three milkings 
were made per day, and the amount of milk left in the udder deter- 
mined immediately after milking, by means of a supplementary milk- 
ing. With two cows the machine gave better results, and w T ith the 
other two cows hand milking was more thorough. The results, on 
the whole, however, were in favour of the machine, whether the abso- 
lute amount of milk left in the udder be considered, or the ratio of 
this amount to the amount actually obtained. The milk left in the 
udder per cow per day, after mechanical milking, was 0*50 pint as 
compared with 0*59 pint after hand-milking. A longer time was taken 
to empty the udder by machine than by hand, a fact which might 
have had some influence on the yield. Though the amount of milk 
obtained from the first morning's milking (6.15 a.m.) was in the case 
of both methods almost double that obtained at either of the two 
