SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
875 
sey furnishes 20%, New York 8% and a small amount comes 
from Delaware ; the remainder is furnished by Pennsylvania 
herds, many of which must necessarily be in not the best sani¬ 
tary surroundings, yet not one case of sickness in Philadelphia 
has ever been traceable to the milk supply, and this record is not 
likely to be broken, as the more prominent dealers are having 
the herds from which they procure their supply regularly ex¬ 
amined by competent veterinarians, and think it would be in the 
line of progression if the State Veterinarian would issue certifi¬ 
cates of health (after tuberculin test) for cattle when applied for 
by owner, as these held by a few would be an incentive to all 
other producers who wished to be in the front ranks. He ex¬ 
hibited a blank, such as used in the examination of his herds 
every three months. He then spoke of the Board of Health try¬ 
ing to enforce the antiquated act of 1885, commonly known as 
the Pittsburg Act, relating to the production and sale of milk. 
This act makes no allowance for unavoidable ignorance of facts, 
and holds a man liable for that which he could not possibly 
know, being with other pure food enactments the only instance 
of the kind in our courts and not one of the European nations 
will impose on any class of offenders in this way. While this act 
requires 12 per cent, of total solids (only Channel Islands cattle 
will not fall below this limit), again it prohibits milk having a 
.specific gravity over 1.033 (^ le of Channel Islands cattle 
has a specific gravity above this limit), consequently all dealers 
would soon be in jail except those left out through the courtesy 
of the milk inspectors. Regarding skim-milk, the act requires 2 % 
per cent, of fat, while only 3 per cent, of fat is required therein for 
whole milk. This practically does away with the sale of skim-milk. 
Dietists are a unit as regards the comparative cost and nutrition 
of skim-milk ; they consider it the most wholesome, healthy and 
the cheapest animal food to be had when its nutritive value is 
realized and considered. In comparison with beef and mutton, 
the ratio of its value is as 3 to 1 in favor of skim-milk. Of the 13 
per cent, of total solids in average whole milk 4 per cent, is fat, the 
remainder ash, sugar, and nitrogenous products, or roast beef. The 
fat gives force and energy, heat, etc., but does not build up the 
bodily structure. Life has been sustained for eleven years on 
skim-milk alone ; this can be accounted for by the fact that at 
least two-thiids of the value of whole milk still remains. The 
inspectors claim the use of the lactometer will shield the milk¬ 
man, yet they themselves do not rely on this alone, but prose¬ 
cute solely upon analytical tests, they knowing full well that 
