304 



GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 



[Dec. 1896. 



Adulteration of Milk and Butter. 



In the Twenty-fifth Annual Report of the Locil Government 

 Board, EngW, 1895-96 (C.— 8212), it is observed that milk con- 

 tinues to be the chief subject of analysis under the Food and 

 Drugs Act, 1875. The number of samples analysed during the year 

 was 18,307, of which 2,030, or 11 T per cent, were condemned. 

 In judging of milk the public analyst is often obliged to pass 

 samples which are equal in composition to only the poorest 

 of genuine milk, although he may strongly suspect that he is 

 dealing with samples artificially and not naturally weak. The 

 ■difficulty of repressing milk adulteration is much increased by 

 the practices of certain dealers, who, by the skimming of cream 

 or the addition of separated milk to milk of excellent quality, 

 succeed in lowering the quality of the article, so that it just 

 ■comes up to the requirements of the analyst. In this connection 

 it may be noted that, in addition to the 2,030 samples which 

 were cjndemned, ther3 were nearly 400 which barely reached 

 the analyst's low standard, but were passed as " very poor," of 

 doubtful genuineness," &c. 



With respect to milk adulteration, London compares very un- 

 favourably with the rest of the country. In 1895, the proportion 

 -of adulterated samples of milk in the metropolis was as high as 

 19*3 per cent , as against 6*6 per cent, in the 32 great towns of 

 England included in the Registrar- General's weekly returns, and 

 9 '4 per cent, in the counties and remaining boroughs. In 

 different parts of London, the per-centage of adulteration varies 

 considerably. In five districts the samples condemned were 

 less than five per cent, of those examined, while in 11 others 

 more than one-third of the total number of samples analysed 

 were reported against. 



There were 72 samples of condensed milk examined, of which 

 three were condemned. Some of the samples passed as genuine 

 were sold under the name of " condensed skim-milk," and from 

 these it was found that on an average nine-tenths of the cream 

 had been abstracted. 



Legal proceedings were taken against the vendors of 1,305 

 out of the 2,030 samples of milk reported against, and in 1,121 

 <jases penalties were imposed, amounting to 2,1 911. 8s. 



Butter, or what was sold as butter, was the subject of analysis 

 in 7,188 cases, 590 being condemned. This gives a per-centage 

 of 8*2, which is considerably lower than in any previous year. 

 The majority of the 590 samples were condemned on account 

 of their being wholly margarine, or of being mixed with mar- 

 garine in different proportions. A few were reported against 

 because they contained an excess of water, but in the absence 

 of any standard, some samples which contained over 20 per 

 cent, of water were passed as genuine. Proceedings were taken 

 in 559 cases, and 475 fines were inflicted. 



