108 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ava’, 1902. 
UTILISATION OF SKIM MILK. 
The United States Consul at Gothenburg (Germany) reports that Dr, 
M. Ekenburg, of that city, has invented an apparatus by which milk can be 
reduced to a powder, like flour in appearance, but possessing all the qualities 
of milk in concentrated form, moisture excepted. This milk flour is said to be 
completely soluble in water, and can be used for all purposes for which common 
milk is employed. It is claimed that it does not get sour or ferment, and that 
it can be kept and transported in tin cans, barrels, bags, &c. The inventor 
estimates the cost of production at little more than 1s. per 100 quarts, and 
thinks that milk flour from skim milk can be sold for about 63d. per lb. The 
invention is considered to be mainly of importance for the utilisation of skim 
milk, much of which has hitherto been wasted, but which can in the dry form 
be easily transported without loss of quality. 
NEW PROCESS OF PRESERVING BUTTER. 
The researches of Fehling have established that gum-arabic and its 
concentrated solution are not fermentable. Emile de Meulemeester, of 
Brussels, Belgium, has found (says the Scientific American), by numerous 
experiments that, by mixing powdered gum-arabic with butter in the requisite 
proportions for absorbing water, the butter can be kept for a long period. 
without becoming rancid. If a small quantity of salt be added, the butter will 
preserve its aroma. This method of procedure is objectionable, because it 
requires too large a proportion of gum-arabic, and because the gum should be. 
free from impurities. Jt is difficult to preserve pure gum in large quantities, 
and its price would speedily become prohibitive if the consumption were large. 
In order to obviate these disadvantages, M. de Meulemeester proceeds in the 
following manner :— 
Raw gum-arabic is dissolved in water, and the solution filtered to remove 
the impurities. The filtered solution is then mixed with the butter, and the 
excess of liquid contained in the mixture is finally extracted. 
SIBERIAN BUTTER. 
At the Agricultural Conference in June last at Toowoomba, Mr. John 
Reid mentioned the fact that Siberia was likely to enter into competition with 
Queensland in the export of butter. The great majority of us have been 
brought up in the belief that Siberia is a dreary waste of perpetual snow and 
ice, where unfortunate Russian exiles drag out a wretched existence in a 
rigorous Arctic climate. What are the facts, however? To begin with, 
although the winter lasts from November to March, the country enjoys a warm 
summer, many days being absolutely tropical in heat. There are enormous 
forests of oaks, larches, maples, pines, silver firs, &e. ‘The berry-yielding plants 
are everywhere to be found in the woods. All the open spaces east of the 
Altai and right up to the Stanovoyi Mountains are seas of splendid grass in 
spring. There are lovely prairies abounding in wild flowers and nutritious 
herbs. The upper portion of the Yenesei River is called the Italy of Siberia, 
and practically the whole district between the 60th parallel of north latitude 
and the Chinese frontier and bordering on Manchuria abounds with vast fertile. 
plains where agriculture and dairying are now carried on with marked success. 
In the Tobol and Ishim regions, which cover 330,000 square miles, there are 
probably from 10,000,000 to 12,000,000 acres under wheat, oats, rye, potatoes. 
In one district of 45,000 inhabitants there is one acre under cultivation for 
each person. There are almost as many sheep, cattle, and horses in the Ob and 
Ishim district as there are in Queensland. In 1894 only 400 lb. of butter 
were exported ; in 1901 the export increased to 2,200,000 lb., and the Russian 
Government is doing all it can to foster the dairying industry, and to encourage 
exports to Europe by means of the newly-completed West Siberian Railway. 
"un: 
