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 Generale Agrono- 

 mique, December, 19 10). — 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 with 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 



