JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  30,  1893. 
26(; 
which  is  not  food,  or  rather,  even,  we  may  go  so  far  sometimes,  and 
add  for  that  which  is  really  detrimental  to  the  system. 
The  portion  of  the  public  that  suffers  most  is  that  portion,  as  a 
rule,  least  able  to  defend  itself — the  working  class  and  young  children. 
In  the  first  place  the  poor  customer  is  less  liable  to  suspect  mischief; 
in  the  second  place  he  has  a  wholesome  awe  of  law  courts;  and  in  the 
third  he  would  find  some  difficulty  in  knowing  to  whom  he  should 
make  his  complaint.  The  law  is  hedged  about,  and  it  is  only  those  in 
the  “  know  ”  who  can  really  penetrate  into  the  maze. 
The  upper  classes  purchase  their  food  supplies  in  large  quantities 
and  from  assured  sources,  and  if  they  for  one  moment  suspect  they  are 
being  “  done  ”  over  any  particular  article,  they  are  both  willing  and 
able  to  defend  themselves,  and  will  get  at  the  reason  “  why.”  Milk  is 
an  article  that  lends  itself  to  adulteration — the  process  is  so  easy) 
detection  so  uncertain.  We  are  hapinly  past  the  days  when  chalk 
and  brains  and  other  delightful  compositions  might  be  found  at  the 
'bottom  of  the  milk  can,  but  we  are  still  open  to  other  ingredients, 
which  certainly  are  not  what  we  expect  we  have  paid  lor  in  the  milk 
bill. 
■  How  can  we  increase  our  quantity  of  new  milk  without  the  addition 
of  fresh  cows  in  the  dairy.  Our  cows,  with  judicious  feeding,  are  doing 
their  very  best,  the  quantity  is  large,  and  the  quality — f.e.,  the  butter 
fat,  is  equal  to,  or  rather  above  the  average,  the  average  being  3’75  to 
4  per  cent.  ;  Jerseys  will  reach  5  per  cent.  Yet  we  want  more. 
Naturally  our  customers  desire  at  times  several  quarts  over  their 
usual  order,  and  we  are  perplexed  as  to  how  to  jirovide  them 
with  it. 
Now  comes  in  science  to  our  help.  We  have  an  excess  of  butter 
fat,  the  accepted  standard  is  3  per  cent.  Our  percentage  is  from  3‘75  to 
4  per  cent.,  so  as  to  have  something  in  hand  to  work  upon.  Now  comes 
into  play  the  useful  separator.  The  milk  is  warm,  and  being  mixed 
up  with  the  “  real  new  ”  does  not  in  colour  or  temperature  betray  itself  ; 
the  flavour  is  distinctly  different  from  skim  milk  that  has  had  to 
stand,  and  age  diminishes  its  pleasant  properties.  Now,  no  analyst 
can  stand  against  this  sort  of  fraud,  and  fraud  it  is.  The  only  way  to 
catch  such  vendors  is  to  follow  them  to  the  ndxing  shed,  and  this  is 
practically  impossible.  The  new  Act  would  allow  the  seller  to  add  a 
little  colouring  matter  provided  it  was  not  injurious;  the  same 
latitude  is  permitted  in  the  matter  of  preservatives.  Well,  that  may 
be  all  right,  but  we  do  not  care  to  take  ourselves  and  to  put  in  our 
young  children’s  food  certain  drugs  which  may  or  may  not  be  unde¬ 
sirable.  We  would  rather  have  the  milk  pure  ;  if  we  want  preserva¬ 
tives,  let  us  add  them  ourselves,  and  in  the  quantities  we  think 
desirable. 
How  are  we  to  know  where  this  preservative  business  stops  ?  We 
read  of  the  farmer  adding  a  mixture  at  the  rate  of  1  pint  per  churn, 
and  then  who  knows  how  much  more  may  be  added  by  the  retailer, 
and  how  much  by  the  consumer  ?  In  the  end  it  may  be  very 
heavily  preserved  and  totally  unfit  for  the  delicate  stomach  of  a  baby 
or  of  the  sufferer  from  dyspepsia.  Boric  acid  seems  to  be  the  prin- 
■cipd  agent,  and  yet  it  is  counted  as  not  injurious  here  in  enlightened 
England.  Germany  and  Holland  have  forbidden  its  use  in  articles  for 
home  consumption. 
What  about  the  margarine  business  ?  It  appears  margarine  may 
lawfully  contain  10  per  cent,  of  butter  fat.  Well,  we  have  no  fault  to 
find  with  that.  What  we  dislike  is  the  butter  which  is  impregnated 
with  margarine,  and  it  can  be  done,  and  to  a  great  extent,  without  the 
slightest  suspicion  being  aroused  in  the  breast  (or  stomach)  of  the 
consumer.  It  is  a  punishable  offence  if  detected,  but  who  is  to  detect 
it  ?  It  would  be  very  much  after  a  case  we  heard  of  some  years  ago, 
when  a  seed  crusher  declared  it  lay  in  his  power  to  grind  up  any 
substance  to  such  an  im]  alpable  powder  as  to  entirely  defy  detection. 
We  must  have  margarine  with  a  distinguishing  colour,  or  the 
manufacture  must  be  carried  on  in  buildings  open  to  government 
inspection.  • 
It  is  all  very  well  marking  in  large  letters  the  paper  wrappers ; 
it  is  all  very  well  appending  name  and  address  to  milk  cans  and 
““separated”  or  skim  milk  to  utensils  containing  those  ingredients. 
but  still  the  public  has  much  left  in  its  own  hands,  and  until  there 
has  been  some  swinging  convictions  and  heavy  fines  the  unjust  vendor 
will  but  laugh  in  his  sleeve,  and  pocket  his  gains. 
The  “  Sheffield  Evening  Star  ”  for  March  17th  says 
Mr.  Walter  Long  will  not  be  allowed  to  conduct  the  Food  and  Drugs 
Bill  through  Committee  without  much  discussion.  Notice  has  already 
been  given  of  nine  big  pages  of  amendments,  and  there  is  plenty  of  time 
for  additions  to  the  number. 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
Farmers  who  have  hurried  on  and  almost,  if  not  altogether,  completed 
the  spring  sowings,  will  be  chuckling  at  the  forward  position  of  their  work 
now  that  winter  has  made  a  serious  re-appearance. 
The  check,  though  to  some  people  inopportune,  can  but  be  temporary 
with  April  so  near,  and  with  true  April  weather,  the  early-sown  grain 
should  do  well,  for  this  frost  will  prevent  its  getting  too  forward.  The 
same  may  be  said  as  regards  fruit  trees,  which  would  soon  have  been  in 
bloom,  and  therefore  running  great  risk  of  injury  from  late  frosts. 
Wheat  looks  well,  and  is  not  losing  root  as  it  so  often  does  ;  it  is  quite 
forward  enough,  and  in  some  fields  the  plant  is  almost  too  thick  ;  the 
prospect  of  a  crop  is  decidedly  good,  but  prices  keep  very  unsatisfactory, 
with  little  hope  of  improvement. 
The  cold  snap  has  had  a  weakening  influence  on  stock  markets,  for 
roots  are  very  scarce,  and  too  many  farmers  have  nothing  now  but  pastures 
to  depend  on.  Happy  is  the  man  who  has  a  good  heap  of  Mangold,  with 
sufficient  grass  whereon  to  consume  it,  and  so  keep  his  sheep  away  from 
the  young  seeds  until  frost  is  past  for  the  season. 
Swedes  are  nearly  finished,  and  in  one  way  it  is  a  good  thing,  for  being 
small  in  the  autumn,  they  were  not  stored,  but  allowed  further  opportunity 
for  growth.  They  certainly  gained  in  weight  up  to  Christmas,  but  the 
mild  winter  has  encouraged  them  to  run,  and  the  flesh  has  been  more  or 
loss  stringy  and  woody  since  mid-February.  From  this  it  appears  that 
we  should  always  store  the  Swedes  for  spring  use,  however  small  they 
may  be  at  Martinmas. 
The  artificial  manures,  if  not  already  bought,  should  be  purchased  at 
once,  and  immediate  delivery  should  be  insisted  on.  Superphosphate 
especially  requires  time  to  dry  if  recently  dissolved,  and  where  the  farm  is 
far  from  a  station,  it  is  bad  policy  to  defer  the  carting  in  of  the  tillages 
until  the  time  to  sow  them,  for  it  is  always  a  very  busy  one. 
Land  already  prepared  for  Mangolds  should  not  be  ploughed  again  until 
just  before  drilling  ;  but  if  the  surface  be  a  little  rough,  a  harrowing  and 
rolling,  as  soon  as  dry  enough,  will  improve  the  mould,  which  will  have 
later  on  to  enclose  the  young  seed.  Farmers  are  now  buying  their  seeds  ; 
may  we  urge  on  them  the  importance  of  buying  nothing  but  the  best  ? 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATION'S. 
Camden  Square,  London. 
Lat.  51°  32'  40"  N.;  Long.  0°  8'  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  tec. 
Date.  ] 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day 
1899.  ' 
March. 
Barometer 
at  32°,  and 
Sea  Level 
Hygrometer 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Tempera¬ 
ture. 
Rain. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
1  foot 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun 
On 
Grass 
- 
Sunday  ....  19 
Monday  ....  20 
Tuesday  ....  21 
Wednesday  22 
Thursday  . .  23 
Friday .  24 
Saturday ....  25 
inchs 
30-123 
deg. 
34-7 
deg. 
32-0 
N.W. 
deg. 
39-5 
deg. 
42-4 
deg. 
•27-9 
deg. 
84-6 
deg. 
.24-1 
inchs. 
29-784 
31-9 
31-2 
N. 
38-3 
42-4 
20-3 
84-9 
23-3 
— 
-29.827 
28  1 
27-9 
W. 
37-7 
39-0 
19-9 
74-1 
21-4 
0-023 
29-098 
30-8 
30-8 
s.w. 
36-6 
42-2 
22-6 
90-4 
22-1 
— 
-29-775 
•28-2 
•27-1 
N.W. 
36-1 
38-2 
22-7 
65-9 
20-8 
— 
30-017 
32-2 
30-1 
N.W. 
35-3 
43-7 
23-9 
88*9 
22-0 
— 
30-252 
35-6 
32 -1 
W. 
35-2 
49-4 
‘24-3 
82-0 
21-8 
0-194 
-29-9-25 
81-6 
30-2 
37-0 
42-5 
23-9 
81-5 
22-2 
0-217 
REMARKS. 
19th.— Bi'ig;ht  anil  generally  .sunny. 
•20th.— Clear  early,  alternate  cloiul  and  sun  after,  with  frequent  sprinkles  of  snow 
in  afternoon. 
■21st.— Eoggv  early  ;  fair,  with  much  faint  sunshine  till  noon,  then  snow  till 
4  p.  M.  and  fine  .again  after.  The  grass  min.  thermometer  was  slightly 
covered  with  snow. 
22nd.— Bright  morning,  cloudy  at  times  in  .afternoon. 
‘23rd.— Overcast,  with  frequent  slight  snow,  sleet,  .and  soft  hail  till  1  p.m.  then 
generally  sunny. 
24th.— Brilliant  morning  ;  cloud  and  slight  snow  at  0.15  .and  at  1  p.m.  ;  cloud  and 
sunshine  in  afternoon  ;  bright  sun  from  4  p.m.  ;  fine  night.  . 
25th. --Overcast  early  ;  sun  at  9,  .and  cloud  and  sun  till  noon  ;  fine  r.ain  in  afternoon, 
and  steady  from6.15  P.M.  to  midnight. 
A  very  remarkable  week  for  the  latter  half  of  March;  it  is  the  coldest 
since  the  last  week  in  Jtanu.ary,  1897,  and  the  night  minima  are  lower  than  in 
any  week  since  the  intense  frost  of  February,  1895.  Rain  still  very  deficient. — 
O.  J.  Symons. 
