Dec. 1, 1899.] Supphmmt to the "Tfopical Agriculiurist" 
439 
severe degree of illness, even at the expense of 
a less durable immunity, which is of much less 
importance in this country than it was in South 
Afrien, for the reasons already pointed out. The 
religious susceptibilities of the people must also 
be reckoned with, and for this reason alone 
the bile method of Koch, which necessitates the 
slaughter of some 7 per cent of the animals, 
at from the sixth to the eighth days, in order 
to obtain bile for the protection of the others 
— a protection, moreover, which is only a tem- 
porary one — is practically out of the question 
in India. The glycerine bile method is next 
reviewed and rejected, because of the slowness 
of its action, and the necessity for a second 
injection ten days after the first. Captain Kogers 
rightly urges that the simplest possible method 
-will be the best in this country, and he considers 
it probable that " the serum method or a modi- 
fication of it, so as to give but a very slight 
attack of the disease with a sufficiently long 
consequent immunity, will be best suited to the 
conditions met with in thi? country, especially 
as the protection will be obtained in a very 
few days. Moreover, the serum in larger doses 
can be used as a curative measure in early cases 
of the disease, if a sufficient quantity is available, 
a matter of the greatest practical importance." 
The Avriter then goes on to give a full account 
of the experiments he has conducted with Indian 
cattle, which will well repay perusal by all who 
are interested in cattle. Here, however, a bare 
outline is all that we have space for. We may, 
therefore, pass over the interesting, though hitherto 
commercially unprofitable, results of the various 
other experiments, to deal with what promises to 
be a most important advance, so far as the interests 
of the Indian agriculturist are concerned. The 
method of Turner and Kolle, which we have des- 
cribed above, was carried out in the Muktesar 
Laboratory — which was recently burned down — 
with the result that 30,000 cubic centimetres of 
serum were manufactured in a comparatively short 
time. The serum so obtained was then tried ex- 
perimentally on cattle, with the most gratifying 
results. It was discovered that whereas cattle 
from the plains were comparatively easily protected 
from rinderpest by the serum, the hill cattle 
required much larger doses to protect them. It 
was, however, merely a question of dose, aud given 
large enough doses, the hill cattle could be as 
effectively protected as the plain cattle. In each 
of the experiments mentioned above the rinderpest 
test was carried out by the injection of a dose of 
virulent blood subcutaneously, the most certain 
way of producing the disease in an unprotected 
animal, and yet, given sufficient doses of the serum, 
the cattle showed no signs of the disease. A most 
interesting and important feature of the inquiry 
was the practical application of the method to the 
cattle of infected villages. The villagers readily 
assented to the experiments being carried out, and 
allowed blood to be taken from a diseased animal 
for the purpose. The result was most gratifying, 
since not one of the inoculated animals contracted 
the disease, while of the uninoculated a number 
suffered from rinderpest, and several died. 
From what has been said it will be obvious that 
though Captain Eogers neither claims nor has 
attained finality in his results, he has nevertheless 
done enough to show that the method he advocates 
is a practical one, which promises to very materi- 
ally diminish the great mortality from rinderpest 
in this country. It will, however, he first neces- 
sary for Government to obtain a sufficient crg'Uii- 
sation to put into practice the important outcome 
of the experimental work we have alluded to. 
AN INTEEESTING MILK PEOSECUTION. 
The first prosecution of any importance to the 
milk-vending trade reached a definite stage last 
week, when a Sydney Dairyman was fined at 
Newtown, by Mr. Isaacs, a Sy<l-:ey P.M., for 
selling milk below the strengi h laid down in the 
Public Health Act. 
The case was commetict^d six weeks ago and 
concluded last week. Willuan Liddell, Inspector 
under the Health Act for the Borough of Marrick- 
ville, proceeded against Alfred Wedlock, registered 
dairyman, of Marrickville, for that he did by his 
servant, John Wedlock, sell to the said William 
Liddell an article of food, to wit milk, the same 
not being of the quality of food demanded by him 
in terms of section 62 of the Public Health Act of 
1896. Mr. Kalston, instructed by Messrs. Norton 
& Co., appeared to prosecute ; and Mr, Ferguson, 
instructed by Messrs. Deane and Deane, appeared 
for the defendant. Evidence was given by the 
inspector of the purchase of the milk and the 
submitting of the same to the Government Analyst 
for analysis. In answer to Mr. Ferguson, the 
inspector stated that defendant's cattle were in 
excellent condition, and had the appearance of 
being well fed. The dairy premises were kept in 
splendid order. The cows were stall fed, and 
appeared to receive every care and attention. 
Mr. Hamlet, Government Analyst, stated that 
he had made an analysis of the milk in question. 
The milk was below the standard notified by the 
" Gazette," The deficiency of total solids was "47 
per cent. The fat was deficient '45 per cent. 
The solids not fat were deficient '02 per cent. Tlie 
materinl difference was in the fat. He could 
only account for tlie absence of the fat by its 
abstraction by dilution or skimming. The 
standard given was a low one, and in favor of 
milkmen- He had received a number of authentic 
samples from veterinary inspectors. He iiad seen 
samples actually taken from the cow, which he 
had analysed, and found that they averaged S-8, 
sometimes over 4*, and evening milk up to .j-. 
These samples h ad been taken at all times of the 
year and in all weathers. As a result of tliese 
investigations he fixed the standard approved by 
the Board ot Heilth. Morning milk continued 
less fat than evening milk. Cold, wet weather 
practically made no difference in the quality of 
milk. He took samples from his own cow which 
averaged 13 per cent of solids and over 4 per cent, 
of fat. The fat in the milk comes from the food 
that the cows take. It would take six hours to 
make a complete analysis bf milk, and could only 
be done by an expert. The English standard for 
solids had gradually fallen from 9*5 to 8 25. 
They had no standard for fat in England. 
For the defence, evidence was given by thi' 
defendant that he spared no effort to get the be.st 
cattle and the best feed for them, irrespective of 
price, in order to make his dairy a model one, 
