652 
Supplement  to  the  ^'Tropical  Agriculturistr  [March  1,  1897. 
THE  USE  OF  THE  LACTOMETER. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  lactometer  is  a 
very  convenient  and  handy  instrument  to  use  in 
the  testing  of  milk,  hut  we  would  iuipress  upon 
those  who  pin  their  faith  to  it,  the  necessity  for 
making  sure  that  tlie  instrument  they  employ 
is  correctly  graduated,  hy  verifying  its  readings, 
first,  by  using  it  with  pure  water  reduced  hy  ice 
to  60°  F.,  and  next  with  milk  cooled  down  to  the 
same  temperature.  In  the  former  case  the  lac- 
tometer, if  correctly  graduated,  should  stand  at 
the  0 mark,  and  in  the  latter  at  30  or  1030  as 
the  instrument  is  marked. 
Hr.  Wanklyn,  the  well-known  chemist,  speaks 
strongly  against  the  lactometer  in  his  work  on  milk 
analysis.  He  says  that  in  some  manuals  intended 
for  the  guidance  of  medical  officers  of  health  the  use 
of  the  lactometer  is  recommended — one  of  them 
in  particular  hy  Dr.  Edward  Smith  claiming  a 
sort  of  pseudo-Government  sanction  for  its  use, 
and  commending  it  as  being  for  milk  what  the 
hydrometer  is  for  alcoholic  fluids.  “ But,”  to 
quote  Dr.  Wanklyn’s  own  words,  “ although  it 
is  so  very  popular,  and  although  it  lias  been  so 
implicitly  trusted,  the  lactometer  is  a most  un- 
trustworthy instrument.  Thei-e  hardly  ever  was 
an  instrument  which  has  so  utterly  failed  as  the 
lactometer.  It  confounds  together  milk  which 
is  exceptionally  rich  with  milk  which  has  been 
largely  watered.”  The  same  writer  makes  refer- 
ence to  a prison  not  far  from  London  where  the 
prison  authorities  are  very  particular  about  their 
gupply  of  milk.  They  allow  no  milk  to  enter  the 
pruson  unless  it  comes  to  the  M mark  on  the  lacto- 
meter, which  the  milk  purveyor  reaches  hy 
flcimminy  the  milk. 
Taking  the  specific  gravity  of  pure  milk  to  he 
1030  (which  should  correctly  be  written  1'030)  at 
00"  F.,  an  easy  way  of  making  the  neces.sary 
correction  for  the  reading  of  the  lactometer  at 
tropical  temperatures  is  to  add  4 to  the  reading 
at  85°  F.  and  to  add  5 to  the  reading  at  90°  F. 
In  Ceylon  the  lactometer  should  always  be  used 
in  conjunction  with  the  thermometer.  If  the 
temperature  of  the  milk  be  found  to  be  85°  and 
the  reading  of  the  lactometer  is  1026,  the  inference 
would  be  that  the  milk  is  of  the  be.st  quality 
since  a specific  gravity  of  1026  at  85°  I',  is  equiva- 
lent to  1030  at  60°  F.  Indeed  a lower  speci- 
fic gravity  than  1026  at  80°  F.  need  not  convey 
the  idea  that  the  milk  has  been  watered,  par- 
ticularly when  it  is  borne  in  mind  how  simple  a 
matter  it  is  to  raise  the  specific  gravity  either 
by  adding  foreign  matter  or  hj'  ahstmctiny  cream. 
(5i.B.— Let  it  further  be  remembered  that  milk 
abnormally  rich  in  cream  shows  a specific  gra- 
vity below  the  normal.) 
But  let  no  believer  in  the  lactometer  imagine 
for  a moment  that  because  an  instrument  is 
purchased  from  this  or  that  store,  it  is  therefore 
correctly  graduateil.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  a com- 
mon experience  to  find  lactometers  from  where- 
soever purchased,  incorrect  by  2 or  3 mark- 
ings for  which  due  allowance  has  to  be  made. 
Let  this  error  be  discovered  by  testing  the  lacto- 
meter with  water  at  60°  F.  We  have  known  the 
same  n.ilk  tested  in  one  establishment  to  show 
a difference  of  nearly  10  in  specific  gravity  when 
testcd'ut  another. 
OCCASIONAL  NOTES. 
It  must  be  gratifying  to  those  connected  with 
the  Agricultural  College  in  Madras  to  find  how 
willing  both  the  Government  and  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  jmblic  are  to  help  on  their  work. 
The  late  discus.sion  in  the  Legislative  Council 
there  shows  that  the  Agricultural  College  is  not 
being  supported  merely  because  it  is  a Govern- 
ment institution,  but  because  the  Council  was 
convinced  of  its  duty  to  do  all  in  its  power  to 
further  the  interests  of  the  agricultural  classes 
in  the  Presidency,  and  give  the  greatest  possible 
support  to  the  institution  which  is  working  for 
those  interests.  Indeed,  it  would  have  been  a 
reproach  in  this  XlXth  century  to  even  the 
Government  of  the  “ benighted  presidency  ” if  it 
confessed  its  unwillingness  to  forward  the  cause 
of  agricultural  education  in  India. 
Those  who  know  the  history  of  agricultural 
education  and  reform  in  England  will  have  some 
knowledge  of  the  difficult  and  discouraging  nature 
and  the  snail-like  progress  of  that  work.  India  is 
going  through  the  same  experience,  and  she  is 
content  to  struggle  on  and  persevere  in  lier  efforts. 
Is  little  Ceylon,  then,  grandiloquently  termed  tlie 
first  of  Crown  Colonies,  to  be  the  last  in  the  race 
for  agricultural  reform  ? And  it  too  an  eminently 
agricultural  colony  ? 
The  spirit  in  which  tlie  discussion  in  the 
Madras  Council  was  carried  on  might  well  be  emu- 
lated hy  any  body  of  senators,  for  while  the  sub- 
ject was  thoroughly  threshed  out  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  asked  for  information,  there  was  no 
wild  talk  on  the  one  hand  and  no  tendency 
to  suppression  of  facts  on  the  other.  In  the 
absence  of  these  latter  unfortunate  circumstance 
the  result  of  deliberation  and  discussion  was 
what  was  to  be  expected,  viz.,  sound  common- 
sense  and  truth,  and  in  the  end  these  prevailed. 
A planting  correspondent  in  writing  to  us  en- 
quiring where  he  could  get“  Homco”  manure,  and 
expressing  his  desire  to  get  two  tons  of  it,  says  : 
“ It  made  my  cocoa  and  orange  trees  jiini})  !” 
The  number  of  applications  for  admission  into 
the  Colombo  School  of  .\griculture  have  increased 
apprecialily  this  year. 
The  Final  Examination  of  the  Forests  Students 
took  place  on  the  15th  February  and  the  follow- 
ing days.  The  results  have  not  been  announced 
as  yet. 
The  Entrance  Examination  for  candidates  seek- 
ing admission  into  the  Forestry  School  was  held  on 
the  same  days.  Seven  candidates  presented 
themselves.  Tlie  three  first  who  passed  were  in 
order  of  merit — Richard  de  Silva,  Lucas  Mendis, 
and  M.  A.  Fernando. 
In  November  last  the  highest  rainfall  for  the 
month  (according  to  the  Survej’or-General's  re- 
turn) was  that  recorded  at  Digulla,  Awisawella 
viz.,  34‘8i)in.,  the  rainfall  at  Sognma,  I’nssellawa, 
running  this  close  with  3I'(i3.  The  lowest  re- 
