FARM and DAIRY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 August 1924, Page 9

FARM and DAIRY

NOTES BY THE WAY. “Feeding, weeding and breeding” should be a nursery rhyme for your farmers said a. member at the Demonstration Farm meeting at Stratford on Saturday. It- must be discouraging to breeders of pedigree cattle in the Wairarapa (remarks the Age) to nnd that when the stock is built up to produce butterfat few dairymen can be found who will pay a price for heifers and bulls to recoup the breeder for his trouble. A breeder who purchased a bull at the Royal Show at Vancouver with a great butter-fat record offered his progeny from semi-officially tested cows, but could hardly secure a bid. The sale scarcely produced sufficient to pay for the catalogue. WAIMATE WEST DEMONSTRATION AREA. FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. At the annual meeting of the Farm ,i Committee, held at the farm, Mr J - '' • Deem (chairman) presided and there were present: Messrs A. Gam Lin, J • Leslie, It. Dunn, J. S. McKay, K Long, J. F. Stevenson, E. J. Betts, and F. Mourie. Mr A. J. Glasson was also present. .Before the meeting, members went over some of the paddocks to see' what - was being done, and were much impressed by the conditions generally. The state of the milking shed came in for much commendation. It was spotlessly clean and in perfect order a a model for farmers. A useful improvement has been made in putting concrete flashing round the race, so that all drainage now goes direct to one receptacle in the corner, and does not run over -the sides. Members considered a suggestion of Mr Deem’s to sow grass seed direct into a. piece of land just ploughed, and after consideration decided to agree , to the experiment. A request from the Manaia branch of the Farmers’ Union for more information in regard to the working of the farm, and a suggestion that more experimental work should be done. They also asked that field days should be regularly arranged. The report, which will be published in full, was submitted to the meeting, and gave a very comprehensive summary of the year’s operations. The total of butter-fat was shown to be 13,541 lbs, as against 14,654 lbs last year, but it had to be remembered that the herd numbered 44 cows against 50 last year. The statement of accounts showed, .inter alia, that there had been much improvement in many respects. The overdraft was decreased, and there was substantially less paid for interest.. The chairman said the decrease in butter-fat was due to the lesser number of cows milked, 44 instead of 50, some of them having to be put out owing to mammitis appearing in the herd. Tie said in regard to the Farmers’ Union’s letter that they were now able to show visitors much of interest, and he hoped that there would be many good days from now on, when there would be plenty to- show. Mr J. F. Stevenson said the .report was a very good one, and gave- an excellent resume of the work done-, and hd could have hoped some of the critics of the firrm could have been present to hear it read. , Mr Long agreed, and said they had r * got very good returns. Mr Dunn said they should be very well satisfied, and said they had followed the policy of building up the dairy herd as they went. Referring to some criticism from, outside, Mr Stevenson said that if the committee kept up the experimental work they were doing it would be beneficial to all farmers. They should show what was being done. Mr Long said that because of the experimental work done at the farm, they generally had more cows than they would if farming the place only for profit. At such a farm they should , show how much could be run on the a | rea what was the cost, what were the best types of manures to be used for root crops. He added that "he was sure thousands of pounds were wasted every year through the use of unsuitable manures. Mr Deem agreed that these werei the objects of such a farm. They wanted to set apart N days for inspection by the farmers, provoke wide discussion, and spread useful information. He had not encouraged this until now, when they were ready to show some* thing worth seeing. answer to a question, Mr Deem said h© had- no idea how the cows got mammitis, but he could say that very few herds in the district did not get it .more or less severely. Mr Betts said that 'in reference to remarks made ,re butter-fat returns that comparisons were made with herds which consisted all of mature cows whereas the farm herd had a considerable number of heifers. ♦w l ’*?*® l " said > 1,1 repiy to questions, that the cows had been valued at £2O each, and that they were gradually reducing from £25 two years ago' and £22 last year. They were writing down improvements, and had allowed ten per cent, on machinery. 1 Mr Long again remarked on the good report, and commended the showing of details of the work done, which was dtim! y nf^ y fi " d ou * wh€ther lection of the farm was being managed nnilTl'** totallin S £lßl 18s 8d were P a |® for payment. inching then concluded. At the end of the meeting afternoon tea was supplied by Mrs pfterson and this was much appreciated bv’ the members. A hearty vote of thanks was, on the motion of Mr StJeZZr, passed and earned by acclamation! ’ T^ 6 me e et fog well in September, but this fell off in November, Men very dry warm wea ' SfeS‘ S o f e T ri<!nCed ’ «"«' towards feu’s 1 SEKSfi =?£ Pastures.-These came away earlv and were good up.till October 7 Thev tfe dr i t f Tu? erablJ ' f ° a - seems to.be Roving top-dressings are taking effect W? , ft wi » tot /.ear,' a start I^“' Zfc'lfZff

The foul condition of the land makes this work very difficult. Crops.—These consisted of half an acre of soft turnips and one acre each ot carrots and mangolds. These were grown in the same field as last year, turnips and mangolds were a fair crop. Carrots also promised well, but rotted badly after the salt spray storm m Alareh. In, the mangold varieties, Prize Winner showed a consideraMe amount of heart rot, while " hite Sugar and Red Intermediate were very sound. Lucerne —The four-acre stand put down in 1921 has filled out and gave STf during the past season, the first being put into ensilage and £L bala -f fed out green to the dairy herd The area sown through every ond still the best, 14-inch drills br^ dca ?t being next, with 21-inch lightest crop. New Zeaand seed is still much superior to imported Grimm. The four i° ats a r d tares is now in oats tbL ‘ i 7t ls Proposed to sow NotemW m lucerne 1 about the end of TwTl ° r i in lneie is no doubt the four acres of Sa 7? d the herd d'H'lng the dry ar^bnf^ 61, ° f Decembter and Janm ary but there was not quite enough J*,? 4 - .To provide sufficient green fodder during a dry spell about® one acre to every six cows is required Top-dressing.—This work has been continued, and while the class of grasses m * he cannot be expected to give the best results, obJerIw° n k *° far S° to show that basic S a f ; ’2 aSIC / Uper ’ super > and carbonate suits SUper Z. lve a bont equal results. The quantities necessary are 2 to 3cwt per acre, but in tests‘of 3cwt ;l eC °V- d , year against Ucwt every year the lighter dressing every year seems, so far as the eye can 7 judge from the manner in which the plots are grazed and the .composition of the grasses, to give the best results. The attached table covering the experiments m field 6 since 1919 go to show i that there is not a great deal -of difference m the weights of one cut of grass per year, although the 1923 weights would suggest that the plots 1 iV nd , (b as m slag) were building up rather better than the others* but it would be a mistake to come to dehmte conclusions on one year’s rseults. it will be noticed that- the average of the manured plots shows a return of 1 ton 6cwt 841 b per cut over the unmanured area, and that plot 1, the best plot m the series, shows a gain of 1 ton 19cwt. These weights only represent a growth of about 10 weeks, October to middle of December, so that the gain throughout the year must be very considerable. Another point brought out very definitely is the' high cost of bonemeal as compared with basic slag producing about the same wdght of grass. Take plots 2 and 3 in field 6; both had been dressed on three occasions with a total of 9cwt per acre. The basic slag plot Produced 30 tons 15cwt 711 b at a cost of £3 7s 6d for manure, while the bonemeal plot produced 30 tons sewt at a cost of £5 12s 6d for manure, a difference of £2 ss, or 66 per cent in favour of the slag, and, further, the pasture grown on the slag area is more palatable, and on reference to the table it will be seen that the slag appears to be building up the plot better than the bone. The definite findings by weight in this - field are fully borne out bv observations of the composition and manner of grazing of other fields on the farm.

Herd.—-The herd on June 30, 1924, consisted of 42 cows, 6 heifers, 21 yearlings, and 1 bull, against 47 cows, 2 heifers, 6 yearlings, and 2 bulls last year. During the year 5 cows, 1 heifer, and 1 bull were sold for various reasons, while 1 cow died. Trouble was experienced in getting some of the cows in calf, and in November there was a violent outbreak of mammitis, with a result that the milk returns dropped considerably, figures lieing 1917.61 b butter-fat for October ' and only 1824.81 b for November, when a fair increase under normal conditions would have been expected. The outbreak was got under control in about three but left a few ruined quarters. The testing association’s figures credit the herd with 322.971 b butter-fat per head, while the actual factory returns show a production of 307.71 b per head, or a difference of 151 b fat per cow. Three heifers on their first calf are included fn the above average. This average is not up to what we would'like, but may be considered satisfactory in the face of the udder trouble experienced in the flush of the se*son. Twenty-one heifers were raised from the best cows; this proved a rather unprofitable venture this year, as there was very little demand for this class of stock. Eight of these heifers are being retained to build up the herd, and the balance; were disposed of recently. Pigs.—Only a few have been raised, bad luck being experienced with the breeding sows, and it will be necessary to replace these.

Live Fences.—These have been well cared for during the year and have made good growth. General.—The finances of the committee have been carefully watched. The working and profit and loss accounts showing a total expenditure of £917 7s 9d against £B9O 18s last year, an increase of £26 9s 9d. This is accounted for in an increase, of £ls in wages and a substantial increased expenditure in seeds and manures. One pleasing aspect in the balance-sheet is the reduction in interest- charges from £220 11s 9d to £lßl ls, a reduction of £39 10s 9d. The bank overdraft now stands at £2641 14s 9d against £2822 9s Id last year, a reduction of £IBO 14s sd. The stock account now stands at £1023 4s against £1193 4$ last year, a decrease of £l7O. This reduction is chiefly brought about by writing down the values of the dairy herd, the cows and heifers being written down £2 per head and the. yearlings £3 per head. The Government agreed at the beginning of the year to advance us a subsidy of £IOO per year for three years, and this should greatly 'help us in demonstration work. Mr. A. G. Paterson has continued in the position of manager, and has carried out his duties in a very faithful and efficient manner. That his interest in the work of the farm is becoming keener and keener is reflected in the tidy condition of the farm. During the year two members of the committee, Messrs. T. McPhillips and T. A. Bridge, retired, their places being filled by Messrs. Leslie and Mourie. During - their term of office Messrs. Bridge and MePhilips were very active members of the committee, and greatly assisted in the establishment of the farm. TOP-TORE SRI N G EXPERIMENTS. Plots I, 5,8, 9 and 12 received 14 cwt. every year. Plots 2,3, 6,7, 10 and 11 3cwt every second year. Plot I—Basic slag; weight of one cut of grass per acre—l9l9, 4 tons 3 cwt; 1920, 8 tons 2ewt 61b; 1922, 12

tons 14e wt; 1923. Btonu 7cwt; total four years, 33 tons 6cwt 101 b; posiiton, I; remarks, clean grazed.

Plot 2—Basic slag; 1919, 3 tons 1 12 cwt; 1920, 6 tons 9e\vr 721 b; 1922, 12 tons lewt 81b; 1923, S tons 13-cwt 56 lb; total 4 years, 30 tons 14ewt 711 b; position, 6; clean grazed. Plot 3—Bonemeal; 1919, 8 tons 16 cwt; 1920, 7 tons 9cwt 1001 b; 1922, 11 tons sc- wt; 1923, 7 tons 14cwt 281 b; total 4 years, 30 tons scwt 161 b; position, 9; rather rough. Plot 4 —Control, no treatment; 1919, 3 tons 4e\vt; 1920, 6 tons scwt 651 b; .1922, 10 tons scwt 801 b; 1923, 5 tons 15cwt 561 b.; total 4 years, 25 tons- 10 cwt 91b; position, 12; rough. Plot s—Bone and super, equal parts; 1919, 3 tons 16ewt.; 1920, 7 tons 12ewt; 1922! 11 tons 14cwt. 721 b; 1923, 6 tons 15ewt.; total 4 years, 29 tons 17ewt 721 b; .position, 10; grazing fair. Plot 6 —Bone and super, equal parts; 1919, 3 tons 4cwt; 1920, 9cwt 31b; 1922, 12 tons lewt 81b; 1923, 6 tons 15 cwt; total 4 years, 31 tons 3ewt Sib; position, 4; grazing fair. Plot 7—Super; 1919, 3 tons 16cwt; 1920, 8 tons 16cwt 251 b; 1922, 11 tons Bcwt 241 b; 1923, 7 tons 7ewt. 841 b; total 4 years, 31 tons Bewt lib; position, 3; clean grazed. Plot B—Super; 1919, 3 tons. 9ewt; 1920, 9 tons 4cwt 371 b; 1922, 12 tons lewt 81b; 1923, 6 tons Sewt 561 b; total 4 years, 31 tons 2cwt 1011 b; position, 5; clean grazed. Plot 9 —(Basic super; 1919, 3 tons 13 cwt; 1920, 8 tons. 6ewt 111 b; 1922, 12 tons lOcwt 801 b; 1923, 6 tons 2cwt; total 4 years, 30 tons llcwt 911 b; position, 7; clean grazed. Plot 10—Basic super; 1919, 3 tons 8 cwt; 1920, 10 tons 2cwt. 631 b; 1922, 11 tons lewt 881 b; 1923, 7 tons lewt 281 b; total 4 years, 31 tons 12cwt 411 b; position, 2; clean grazed. Plot 11—Island phosphate; 1919, 3 tons 9cwt; 1920; 7 tons 18ewt; 1922, 12 tons 3cwt 441 b; 1923, G tons 15cwt; total 4 years, 30 tons scwt 441 b; position, 8; grazing fair. Plot 12 —Island phosphate; 1919, 3 tons Bcwt; 1920, 8 tons 16ewt 251 b; 1922, 1.1 tons oewt; 1923, 6 tons Bcwt 561 b; total 4 years, 29 tons 7ewt 811 b; position, 11; grazing fair. Average cost of. manures: Slag, super, basic super, Island guano, £7 10s per ton; bonemeal, £l2 10s per ton. This shows bonemeal to be 66 2-3 per cent, dearer than the other phosphatic manures.

CHEESE SHRINKAGE. FACTORS AFFECTING LOSS OF WEIGHT. All cheese decreases in weight Curing the ripening period, which lasts a few weeks or several months, according to the type. One of the conditions affecting the loss of weight in cheese, due to evaporation of water, is the actual percentage of moisture in the newlymade cheese. There is a very considerable difference in the proportion of moisture contained in different varieties of cheese at the time of being placed in the ripening-room. Unpressed and lightly-pressed cheese contains a high percentage of moisture when fresh made, as compared with the hardpressed varieties. The kinds of cheese which contains the most moisture at the time of vatting the curd lose the most in weight during' the ripening, mg. Two factors which largely affect the percentage of loss in weight in the course of cheese-ripening are the size and to some extent the shape of the cheese. A large cheese of 901 b to 1001 b in weight retains the moisture better than one of the same variety weighing only 141 b or so. The result of certain experiments in the ripening of different sized cheeses of the same conditions as to temperature, etc., showed that 901 b cheeses lost on the average 5 per cent, of their weight, 301 b cheeses lost on the average 10 per cent, of their weight; 121 b to 141 b cheeses lost on the average 16 per cent., of their weight. There is a demand for small cheeses in some districts, arid such produce needs to be disposed of as soon as possible after being made. Unless some cheeses are . sold immediately they are ready for consumption,' a considerable loss of weight occurs, and if kept too long the cheese- becomes unduly hard and dry. The shape of a cheese assists or otherwise in the retention of moisture originally present in. this produce. Certain types of large cheese, abouv 4 inches thick, but of large diameter, lose more weight by evaporation than cheese of the same weight but much higher and of smaller diameter. Cheese of the blue-veined varieties are necessarily of open texture and rather moist iu the first instance; this accounts for their losing a much higher percentage of moisture than a Cheddar cheese, which is of a close, compact nature made from a rather dry curd. It i,s necessary to keep the ripeningroom fairly moist wiien open-textured cheeses are being cured, otherwise an excess of moisture will evaporate, leaving them too dry for a normal ripening. The temperature at which cheese is ripened has a markecr influence upon loss of weight due to evaporation, and also the quality of the finished article. Cheese will ripen quicker at 70 degrees F. than at lower temperatures, but more weight is lost. Above 70 degrees F., in addition to excessive evaporation occurring, the flavour of. the cheese suffers. When once a cheese gets heated throughout, lower temperature afterwards will not correct the fault. Open-textured cheese requires a low-ripening temperature after the first few days.—“Laiter,’* m the Farmer and Stockbreeder. THE DRAUGHT HORSE. OPINIONS ON ITS FUTURE. Talking of the question of the future of the draught horse, a member of the Mount Eden Borough Council expressed the opinion that the time was coming when horses would not be seen drawing vehicles in the city,, and the .tendency now was to consider motor 'vehicles only. In his opinion horses on the roads were quite a nuisance. A prominent city man whose business necessitates the keeping of something like 100 horses, when questioned on the matter by an Auckland Star representative, said it was quite true to- say that the horse was disappearing from our roads, but to say that was wholly due to the motor was incorrect. He had a large carrying business, and therefore it was to his interests to know which was the more payable proposition, the horse or the motor. Experience had proved that on short runs the horse was the better, but the reverse was the case on long distance deliveries. But for short runs in the city the horse was to be preferred. . Another point in favour of the horse was that he could be taken along any road, but with a motor once you left the solid there was trouble. I know of a firm in a big way carrying on a delivery in Svdnev and Melbourne which tried both nxotors and horses f or light parcel deliveries and found that the horses could do the ■work at the rate of a halfpenny per parcel cheaper. Another firm in Aus-

tralia two years ago had 200 horses working, and these were replaced by motors. In just two years the motors were disposed of and the firm went back to the horses. These are facts, and hardly suggest that the horse has had its day.” Absence of Breeders. Another gentleman well versed in “horse” and who has often officiated as judge at various shows in the Dominion said that the reason the horse was disappearing from the streets was not because of the motor, but chiefly because there were no breeders of draught stock. “Look at the people who used to breed horses in the Waikato,” he said. “All of them have turned their attention to dairying and have eiven up breeding horses. Before the war almost any show would have an exhibit of a dozen high-class stallions, but you can travel from Auckland through the Waikato now .and I don’t think von would find a dozen stallions all told.” “Has the motor affected the price of horses?” “Not at all; in fact, good horses are getting dearer than ever. But not only draught horses, but hacks, too. are becoming very scarce because of the big falling-off in the breeding industry. Any decent sort of horse is worth quite as much, if not more, money now than before the war.” DISPLAY AT HOME. At the thirteenth International Horse Show at Olympia, London, this year there were entered nearly 2300 horses from all over Europe—a number almost 700 in excess of last year, which was in turn far ahead of the year before. Representatives from America, France, Italy, Switzerland. Norway and Poland are taking part in the various competitions, this being the fii«t time an American team has been represented at the show. An illustration showed the scene in the beautiful decorated arena at the end of the coaching marathon. The route was from Richmond Hill gate, Richmond Park to Olympia. A chestnut team belonging to an Englishman won the first prize. This seems to show that there is evidence not of decadence in the horse industry, but rather a decided improvement. The motor evidently is not yet going to drive out the horse and make it a thing of the past.. as has more than once been prophesied. AN OUTLAW COW. WHITE, HEIFER. OF KENT. Hidden in a wood near Ashford, Kent, is a- Shorthorn heifer which for many months has eluded capture by organised groups of men. Speedy, and a remarkable jumper, it hast again and again escaped from the clutches of men who have come within a few feet of it. Once more\than 30 men closed on it. It charged straight at them, knocking one man flying, and jumped over a hedge. The animal, which is almost white, belongs to Mr. Hubert Fmn-Kelcey, auctioneer and farmer, of Lyniinge, near Folkestone, who has never seen it. One day he received a message that the animal had been seen with some cows in a field beside a large wood near Ashford. He sent sixteen men to the scene, and they gathered at a hedge beside the field. The heifer saw them, and charged straight at them, leapt over the hedge, and dashed into the wood.

As a final resource, Mr. Fir.n-Kelcey has applied for the services of two of the cowboys who are taking part in the rodeo at Wembley. When . the matter was mentioned to Less Collier, one off the cowboys now at; Wembley, his face lit up. “I sure would like to rope that cow,” he said wistfully. “Lead me there, with my horse and a rope, and I’ll have her tied up before she knows what’s happened. She’ll be the most surprised cow in England.” PASTEURISATION. ITS PURPOSES AND ADVANTAGES A REPORT TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OPINION OF MINISTRY OF HEALTH The widest claims are made in America for the benifits which follow upon the pasteurisation of milk for human consumption, and in that country regulations governing milk supply are probably more stringent than in ..ny otner part of the world, requiring, in many' of the cities, that all ' milk supplied must have come from specially tested herds, “certified milk,” for which, as a rule, an additional charge is made, or shall have been pasteurised. England has been slower to look so deeply into questions of milk supply, but there has recently come to hand a report made to the Minister of Public Health, the Right Hon. Neville Chamberlaili, by the Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, J. M, Hamill, 0.8.E,,M.D., M.Sc., which shows that England is now inquiring thoroughly into the tidvantages of pasteurisation or milk as applied to city supplies. “The ideal milk sujjply would,” states the report, “be supplied from perfectly healthy cows under the cleanest conditions and consumed immediately with the least possible manipulation or handling.” This is the ideal, but Dr. Hamill goes to show that ideal conditions are extremely difficult of achievement, end in two. sections of his report sums up the opinion of the British Health Department; “Pasteurisation, therefore, affords a simple means of .rendering mUk reasonably safe as regards risk ot transmitting disease,” and “From a practical standpoint, therefore, the important positive advantages accruing from pasteurisation may be regarded as outweighing any possible slight depreciation in nutritive elements, the existonly ”* whlc)l ls at P res «»t hypothetical lhe full report would occuny a, very fosow? r ? bl€ a ! uou . nL , of space,*but there follow s a precis of those sections which Snf,T CUI ? r ' i ’ " ith the oonsH«a,*nu* °f J ' ect n ainscd at in the pasteuriffiSro ° { h mi l k ’ State ; s tlie report, is to t*hich y J? K eUt P atho Kenic organisms ‘-7 be present, and to reduce aHv h- i° ther or S anismf b especiSESIJ, ottte 1 and chemi “ l IMPORTANCE of correct Wb temperature. hinhtJL m ll€ated to « relatively high temperature such, for instance a« 1/odeg. F. to 212 deg. F„ pathogenic ed 6a den nS i miy ol ' may not be destroy"P°n th * temI «tuie attained and the duration or cSTth? °l the , milk t 0 but ”1 any We? of anil , d*™™' alteroL th n ” k u,,der S° considerable aiteratmn as a result of such treatF r 3 commercial point of vieu the quality and saleability of the Sat fm? P ” lre<i \ an< ! il h a, so possible h u I'™ a notrmve point of view not so treated CSS * S "' aW<! tha " miUl evSaXof r i e " K ' I,as sho "' n - pos re of milk to a temperature between !4o deg. F„ and 150 F. for

thirty minutes, if carried out with due attention to important details, is sufficient to destroy virtually any pathogenic organisms which may be present in the milk without producing appreciable change in its physical and chemical characters. From the public health point of view, therefore, where milk is concerned, the term “pasteurisation” should be confined to the process of heating to not less than 145 deg. F., and not more than 150 deg. F. for a period of thirty minutes. EFFECT ON BACTERIAL CONTENT. Amongst the pathogenic organisms with which milk may be accidentally contaminated are B. tuberculosis, B. diphtheria, B.dysentericus, B. typhosus and other organisms of the typhoidparatyphoid group. All the above organisms are destroyed by exposure to a temperature of l4sdeg. F. to loOdeg. F. for thirty minutes. It- is possible under certain conditions that a small proportion of tubercle bacilli may escape actual destruction, but their virulence appears to be so impaired as to make them harmless. Pasteurisation, therefore, affords a simple means of rendering milk reasonably safe as regards risk of transmitting disease. Apart, however, from pathogenic bacteria milk always' contains a- number of non-pathogenic 'bacteria, which gain access to it in a- variety of ways, such as from the hands of the milkers, from particles of manure, from dust, and from dirty utensils. Dirty milk, in .addition to being asthetically objectionable-, is also more likely to contain bacteria of a pathogenic nature. A proportion of the non-pathogenic bacteria m milk, particularly those derived from manurial contamination, are sporing organisms, and amongst the non-patho-genic bacteria universally present in milk are lactic acid bacteria, which produce lactic acid during their growth, and are the cause of souring milk. Pasteurisation does not destroy the whole of the organisms in milk, although their number may be reduced as much as 99 per cent, by the process. Amongst the survivors are the sporing organisms and a small proportion of lactic acid bacteria. The great reduction in the number of lactic acid bacteria along with other organisms retards the onset of souring, and enables the milk to keep fresh longer than it would if not pasteurised. This is an advantage both, to the consumer and to the milk vendor.

In properly pasteurised milk the lactic acid bacteria which survive ensure that the milk, on being kept, will go sour like ordinary milk before put-re-i action occurs

When milk is properly pasteurised the majority of its chemical and physical characters show no appreciable change. The taste and flavour of milk are hardly, if at all, 'altered by pasteurisation. If ordinary raw milk is allowed to stand, the cream gradually rises to the top, and a linei of demarcation appears between the cream and the remainder of the milk. This layer of cream, sharply demarcated from the rest of the milk, is known as the hue.. When milk is pasteurised at 14odeg. Fahrenheit for 30 minutes tfie cream line, hmvever, is affected above this temperature; this cream rises slowly and imperfectly, and in P a steurised at a temperature of I4odeg. Fahrenheit the cream line may be decreased by 40 per cent. PASTEURISATION AND VITAMINS The effect of pasteurisation on the vitamins in milk is important. Milk is rich in fat-soluble A vitamin, and also contains water-soluble B vitamin and the antiscorbutic vitamin (or vitamin C). Both fat-soluble A vitamin and water-soluble B vitamin have a relatively high resistance to heat, so that pasteurisation has practically no effect upon them. The antiscorbutic vitamin, however, is sensitive to heat above 122 deg. Fall., and there seems to b©_ litle doubt that- pasteurisation at 145 deg. Fah. for 30 minutes weakens the anti-scorbutic property of the milk. THE IDEAL AND THE REAL. In’general it is desirable that food should be consumed jii its natural fresh condition whenever possible, but in densely-populated areas the circumstances are often such that, unless perishable food like milk can have its keeping qualities improved by some process which does not appreciably alter its properties or impair its nutritive value, a proportion of the population will be forced to curtail or even do without a, very important food. The ideal milk supply would, of course, he milk obtained from perfectly healthy cows under the cleanest conditions and consumed immediately with the least possible manipulation or handling. The difficulty of establishing herds which are beyond reproach in regard to health, particularly in respect to tuberculosis, is well known, and even if such healthy eggs are achieved it is not an easy matter to keep them from infection. Milk of this high quality must necessarily be limited in amount, and its cost precludes its use by the average consumer.

There is, moreover, no absolute security against rts occasional accidental contamination with, pathogenic organisms by those engaged in its production. The bulk of the . milk supply of this country (England) is derived fi •om herds of average healthiness, and is produced under conditions of average cleanliness; and as England is a highly urbanised country, much of the milk supply has to be transported considerab e distances, a circumstance unfavorable in its keeping qualities and often resulting m considerable loss of milk by souring. The problem therefore arises as to how much milk can best be rendered sate tor the consumer and its keeping qualities maintained, so that it will remain fresh and sweet for a reasonable time after delivery without at the same time unduly increasing 'its cost or materially altering its nutritive value, this problem can lie solved bv means ol pasteurisation. By subjecting the average milk of the country to this process the destruction of any pathogenic organisms which it may contain is virtually assured and its keeping th^fn 8 afe iu, P roved - Pasteurisation heiefoie, may be iregarder as a far tkL m t th ®„ €x , tension af the consumption of milk by turban dwellers, many of whom at the present time do not consume as much milk as they should TASTE, FLAVOUR, AND FOOD VALUE. • -advantage of pasteurisation is that it confers its benefits without any serious disadvantages, such as appreciable impairment or appearance, taste, flavour or nutritive value. It is important to realise that pasteurised milk requires as much caire m its subsequent handling and treatment as does clean, raw milk Pasteurised milk is just as liable‘to bacterial contamination as clean, raw milk, and since it still contains some lactic acid-producing organisms it will eventually go squr just a s does clean, law milk. It is essential, therefore, that it should be thoroughly cooled immediately after pasteurisation and kept under good conditions until consumed It is sometimes asserted that bacteria grew faster in pasteurised than 111 raw milk. Experimental evidence, however, does not bear this out but goes to show that the rate of bac-

terial increase is approximately the same in raw and pateurised milk when comparison is made between milks having about the same bacterial content. it is also alleged that pasteurisation will not encourage farmers to' exercise cleanliness in the production of milk, which would otherwise be unfit for sale, to be placed on the market. But milk which is so stale as to be unfit for sale will not have its flavour improved by pasteurisation, and for this reason the practice would not be commercially remunerative'. In regard to dirty milk, or milk which contains a large number of bacteria, pasteurisation will effect a reduction in the bacteria present, but the number remaining will be greater than m tne case of milk which was clean and contained relatively few bacteria before

pasteurisation. In other words, the keeping qualities of clean milk whicn has been pasteurised are suuerior to those of dirty milk after pasteurisation.

The nutritive qualities of milk in conformity with its physical and chemical characters do not appear to undergo any appreciable change as a. result of pasteurisation, except in respect of anti-scorbutic properties. It has already been mentioned that the anti-scorbutic vitamin in milk is impaired by pasteurisation, and in accordance with this the development of mild or sub-acute scurvy has been observed in certain infants fed on pasteurised milk for some months. ' Fortunately, howevei, this pasteurised milk is "readily corrected by the administration of an anti-scorbutic, such as orange juice. From a. practical standpoint, therefore, the important positive advantages acoruing from pasteurisation may be regarded as outweighing any possible slight depreciation in nutritive elements, the existence of which is at present. hypothetical only. It is occasionally stated that pasteurised milk does not agree with all children, but the same may be said of any milk; extensive experience of feeding children on pasteurised milk goes to show that it is as well borne by them as raw milk, and, with th© above proviso in regard to anti-scorbutics, it appears to be equally nutritious. AGRICULTUR AL SCHOOL. LESSONS FROM CANADA. VALUE OF UNIVERSITY WORK. HON. G. FOWLDS’ IMPRESSIONS. “Canada's colossal expenditure on agricultural education all over the great Dominion must make anything we are likely to accomplish in Auckland for many years very paltry,” writes the Mon. George Fowlds, in an interesting letter from Toronto to administatoirs “ ™ Auckland University College. But at the same time it emphasises the need for us to make a beginning and to see that our beginning is made on sound lines. If we succeed in getting the right man lor our Chair of Agriculture we ought to profit by the initial mistakes that apparently have been made in Canada.”

the college council, Mr I owlds, who is a delegate to the interantional Rotary Convention in .loronto, took immediate and full advantage of many opportunities in WestCanada to visit agricultural colleges and confer with leaders in the wide field of agricultural education. It is, of course, admittedly still too early to offer any considered opinions on the subject, but with a, view to assisting the Auckland University College Council in formulating its policy in regard to the establishment of a Chair of Agriculture, Mr Fowlds has forwarded his first impressions. Even these, though necessarily set down in haste, show clearly that there is much to learn from a first-hand study of agricultural education in Canada.. VISION AND ENTERPRISE.

On landing at Vancouver, Mr Foiwlds immediately got into touch with Professor Boving, P/rofessor of Agronomy at -the University of British Columbia. “I first met him in 1920,” writes Mr Fowlds, “and found him exceedingly well informed on all the latest developments in agricultural education nTCanada and a good part of the United States. I went all over the old and new buildings of the university. The new buildings are on an elaborate scale, .with a magnificent site about seven miles from the centre of the city.

‘ ‘The agricultural section of the university is a most important part of its work, and involves an annual expenditure of £24,000 a year. Professor'Boving and several members of his staff were on the point of leaving for the East to attend the semi-centennial celebrations of the foundation of the Guelph Agricultural College, and lie strongly urged me to go there, guaranteeing a hearty welcome and the best possible opportunity of meeting the leaders in all branches of agricultural education in Canada and the United States. So I changed plans, and instead of going with the Rotary party on the steamer trip through the (*retat Lakes I went through from. Winnipeg to Toronto.”

At Guelph Mr Fowlds was received as an honoured guest and was regisas one the official delegates. W bile at the Guelph Agricultural College the Auckland representative Inspected the new dairy section of the university, which recently had been completed at a cost of £50,000 for buildings and equipment. Everywhere Mr Fowlds saw evidence of keen vision and enterprise. FUSION WITH UNIVERSITIES. In view of the strong opinion held in some circles in New Zealand that agricultural education should be kept separate from the university, it is interesting to note the trend of educational opinion in Canada on the same subject. That Dominion has plumped for the union of all agricultural colleges with the universities.

‘On my way across the continent,” observes Mr Fowlds, “I had opportunities of meeting some interesting educationists at Calgary and Winnipeg. Dr. McLean, president of the University of Manitoba., is a man with a wide vision of university education, and took part in a movement which ha,s culminated in a fusion of the Agricultural College of Manitoba with the University of Manitoba. This agricultural college is a great institution with plant and buildings which have cost 0,000. The late president of the caimfi® , Mr Bracken, won such a reputatl<? I n , as , an administrator that he was called direct from his position as head c il ie c ?^ e 2 € to assume the position of Premier of the province without having had any previous political experience and without a seat in the Legislature. A LESSON FOR NEW ZEALAND. “The union of the agricultural colteg?3 with the University of Manitoba, which lias been fixed by legislation, and is now in the process of being carried out, administratively conveys a lesson for us in New Zealand.

‘All the older agricultural colleges ot Eastern Canada were set up as separate institutions, with full equipment and staffs for teaching of all branches of science, and also giving a certain amount of cultural or arts education. The newer institutions of the West set up in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia all combined the ordinary upiver-

sity work with, agricultural education. ‘‘The trend of opinion has become so strong in favour of the latter course that Manitoba has decided at great cost to amalgamate the two institutions, while the older foundations like Guelph and Macdonald Colleges have been affiliated with the Universities of Toronto and Montreal respectively. In the same way the French agricultural colleges of Montreal have affiliated with the French University of Montreal.” Thus in Canada, which is making a great effort to capture the best markets ot the world for agricultural and pastoral products, agricultural education has become a solid university movement. RESEARCH WORK. In. the course of a very interesting lecture by Professor Easterfield at the Cawthron Institute (Nelson) recently, the speaker described the work being carried on by. the institute. Slides were shown depicting the treatment of soils, study of insect life, and the various other branches of scientific research carried on. The cultivation of crops was also touched upon by the lecturer and a slide showing the very fine orchard was the subject for an interesting discourse. If there was too much lime, in the speaker’s opinion the fruit trees suffered. The treatment of differentclasses of soil was dealt with by the professor, who discussed the uses and advantages of the various' fertilisers and manures. He stated that a farmer within a radius of 30 miles of Nelson had only to mention the number of his block, and the institute could tell him more about his soil than he knew himself. IN CANTERBURY. RAIN NEEDED BY FARMERS. Under half an inch of rain fell this week, says the Christchurch Press, and it is reported that much steady rain would do a great amount of good in Mid-Canterbury, while in South Canterbury prolonged showers would actually save the day. The Mid-Canter-bury farmers have not yet started to complain seriously of the absence- of appreciable rainfalls, but the need is nevertheless there. A perusal of recprds discloses the fact that only 11 81 inches of rain have fallen in Ashburton fr;om January 1 till July 31, against zd./d inches for the same period last year. For the month of July just ended the iramfall was , only 6l points, compared with 2.2 9inches in July, 1923 Tlie figures tell their, own story. CONDITIONS IN CANADA. AGRICULTURAL TRAINING FOR BRITISH YOUTHS. It is reported from Edmonton, Alberta, that a cable message stating that the Canadian conditions had jeopardised the scheme for bringing a certain number of British youths to Alberta for a six months’ course in tne schools of agriculture prior to .their peeking fairms was shown to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr G. Hoadley. ■ Mr Hoadley said that exaggerated stories of the conditions in Canada taken to Britain by disgruntled harvesters last season should not prove a deterrent to the carrying out of the schejne. Out of 2500 or 3500 British harvesters who came to Alberta last year more than .half had remained in Canada, while the majority of the others had gone back, as they had intended to do. COMMON-SENSE COUNSELS. The new ministerbgocsghacHo rhdr. ; (Palmerston Standard.') The new Minister of Lands has the advantage of being a practical farmer —a man who has, from his youth up, been engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and who lias not failed to take advantage of, and profit by, the experience he has gained. At the opening of the Tamaki Dairy Factory near Dannevirke, he gave some very practical advice to the farmers assembled there, his remarks having an application to dairy farmers in general. Increased production is essential to the prosperity of the Doninion; but if success in the dairying industry is to be maintained, and extended," it is essential, as the Hon. A. D. McLeod reminded the Dannevirke faremrs, that quality must he their first and chief consideration—the maintenance of the highest possible standard of their products, which can only be attained by raising the quality of their stock and by the fair and generous treatment of their pastures." New Zealand butters, generally speaking, have obtained a high reputation on the Home markets, although, in some instances, low. grade butters may have affected their sales. .L'he slogan for the dairy farmer should, therefore, he ‘‘Nothing but the best,” not merely in their butter and cheese products, but in the butter-fat producing qualities of their stock. Both the stock and the pastures count in such matters; inferior stock and lean pastures giving but a very poor return and, consequently, tending to keep the farmer impoverished also. Most farmers recognise the position, but there are some who do not, and who continue to feed their stock on pastures which they are at no trouble to enrich or replenish bv top-dressing or allowing the land to rest. In stressing such matters as these, and in the advice he tendered in such practical fashion at Dannevirke, the Hon. Mr. McLeod showed that he has the interests of the farming community, of which he is a member, at heart. ‘ *He speaks with greater authority than many of his colleagues in the Ilouse of Representatives, because he has graduated on the land, and gone through most of the troubles which beset the farmer in the earlier years of his experience and are only successfully grappled with in the light of the actual knowledge gained. Our nioneer settlers laboured under heavy handicaps; their successors stand on a much better footing if they will but profit bv the lessons and experience of those who have passed through the mill and have success of their business. Facilities for acquiring knowledge are available at the present day which were non-existent when the early day settlers commenced to break in the land, and it is largely the farmer’s own fault if he tails to amke a success of his business through lack of knowledge, when he is able to fall hack upon the advice, help and instruction of a well-equipped Department of Agriculture, with its many expert advisers, and when he also fails to profit by such advice a.s is tendered to him by such men as the Minister «f Lands.