216 
Supplemetit to the " Tropical Agriculturht" [Sept. 1, 1898. 
has no other effect thau to irake the butter-making 
a longer or shorter process ; the faster the liandle 
is turned, the sooner the butter comes, is the 
maxim of the Disc ; and the quality and the 
quantity of the butter are the same whatever 
the speed. The machine and the process are so 
simple and ingenious tliat a description of them, 
as given in the Ayr Advertiser is worth 
giving : — A very simply constructed box, open at 
the top is fitted with a narrow wooden disc which 
is levelled so as to come to a knife-like edge. 
The disc is placed vertically in the box, and is made 
to revolve by means of a handle which is geared 
to cogs to acquire speed. Over the wheel, and 
fitted on to the top of the box, is a wooden cup 
some three inches in width with hanging boards. 
As the disc revolves a thin layer or film of 
milk is picked up and dashed with great force 
against the lid or cup. The working of a 
natural law prevents the butter from being 
worked beyond the granular stage, for when 
once the cream becomes butter it no longer 
adheres to the disc, but dances about in the butter- 
milk as the liquid is disturbed. The washing of 
the butter is easily effected, as when the butter 
milk is drawn off and clear water is substituted, 
a few revolutions of the disc are suflBcient to 
clear the grains of the fluid matter, while the 
brining or salting becomes effective in a similar 
manner. The butter is easily removed, and the 
scalding and cleaning of the churn is as simple 
as the cleaning of a bucket. It is said to be 
possible to make the box of glazed earthenware 
or porcelain, when a foul churn would be almost 
an impossibility. It will thus be seen that the 
process is very simple, and the value of the 
machine is best realized when it is known 
that from three to eight minutes are sufficient 
to produce the butter. 
The utilization of skim-milk is a matter of 
great economic importance under the developing 
system of separation by cream separators. The I 
Eoyal Agricultural Society invited Mr. Rehenstrom, 
expert in dairy science to the Swedish Govern- 
ment to visit the Show to exhibit his machinery 
for making human and cattle foods from the 
solid coustituents of skim-milk. The following 
is a description of the process : — By means of a 
steam exhaust the milk is brought into a pulpy 
consistency and is subsequently subjected to 
pressure which gets rid of moisture, and the solid 
matter can be dealt with as required. Cakes of 
a highly nutritious nature composed of the 
solid milk and grain are combined to constitute a 
horse fodder. Calf foods, coffee, coffee and cocoa 
mixtures, and an unlimited variety of palatable 
foods are made, and when it is remembered that 
all that is good in milk (except the fat) is 
retained, it is certain that there must be much 
that is valuable in them. Food that has a milk 
foundation must be good for the young animals, 
and the makers state they can produce the articles 
80 cheaply, that compared with foods of a similar 
value they are able to find a good profit. ^ 
A thorough test, liowever, is necessary as to tlie 
practical value of the discoverj-. 
Within the past few years, says the Auckland 
Weekly Neirit, much attention has been given to 
okra {Hibiscus esculent us) as a fibre plant in the 
Southern States of America. Mills are said to 
have been erected in England, Germany and 
France by a Mr. Sadlow, for working up the* 
raw material, which he says he can produce at 
id per lb. This information we have gleaned 
from American sources, and it may of course be 
overdrawn. But one fact is patent, and it is a 
valuable fibre plant, and its production, cost 
and value are worthy of careful enquiry. 
No. 16 of the Imperial Institute series of 
Handbooks issued by the Indian Government re- 
produces the information in the Dictionary of 
Economic Products regarding Kamela dye, 
the powderj- substance obtained as a glandular 
pubescence from the exterior of the fruit of 
Mallotus Phillippinensis (Rotflera tinctoria), the 
Sinhalese hamparila, and the Tamil kapila-podi. 
Regarding it Dr. Watt says : " Even at the present 
day Kamela dye cannot be said to have obtained 
the position in European countries which its 
merits deserve." 
^^ hen you are ready to plant, says a cor- 
respondent of the Practical Fartner, put your corn 
in a sack, hang it and give it a tliorough smoking. 
With seed that had been smoked no damage was 
done by the ant-worm and other vermin, and as 
far as I could judge not a single kernel was 
disturbed, while the com wliich was planted 
without smoking on adjacent ground was badly 
damaged. 
As an instance of the ease with which weeds 
may be introduced, the following will be of interest 
to agriculturists. A box containing Smyrna fig 
I cuttings is said to have been brought over to 
Australia; these plants on identification were found 
to heJIypecoMn procumbens, Vesicaria utriculata&ud 
Artsemisia campesis, — the plants appearing f^r 
the first time in the colony. As they were known 
to have the character of noxious weeds, prompt 
steps were taken to destroy them at once, so as to 
prevent the possibilitj- of their spreading in 
the countrj-. It is not an uncommon experience 
to find a few weeds among flowers and vegetables, 
the seeds of which have been imported from 
abroad. 
Chickens are often observed to become stupid, 
go to sleep, and appear to sleep themselves to 
death. Some style this the " sleepy disease," 
which often destroys the chicks rapidly, especiallj^ 
in warm weather and in a warm climate. The 
so-called " sleepy disease " is nothing more or less 
than lice. Whenever a chicken droops without 
any apparent cause, examine the head closely for 
the bloodsucker, and rub two or three drops of 
sweet oil on the head of each chick twice a w#ek. 
