FARM NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2399, 22 February 1900, Page 7

FARM NOTES.

PROPORTION OF BUTTER TO MILK

As in previous years, the milking trials and butter tests brought off in connection with the dahy show held at the Agricultural Hall, London, in August last, wer t - followed with much interest by a large sectisn of the visitors. The several tests attracted large entries, and in some of them the competition for places was very keen. The- butter competitions were divided into three separate sections —one for Jerseys, a second for shorthorns, and a ihird for other breeds or crosses than shorthorns or Jerseys. In the Jersey section the place of honour went to a seven-year-old cow. which gave 4-llb Boz of milk in the day, and produced 21b 9oz of butter, equal to a pound of butter to «very 161b of milk. This cow scored a total of 53.25 points. The second prizetaker, a four-year-old cow, gave 261b 14-oz of milk, and lib 12oz of butter, equal to a pound of butter to every 151b of milk. Her total number of points was only 40.75. In the shorthorn section the first prize went to n six-year-old cow, which yielded 58jlb of milk in the day. and gave 21b 14£oz'of butter, equal to a pound of butter to every 20.151b (or two gallons of milk). The second prizetaker in this contest gave 531b of. milk and 21b Boz of butter, or lib of butter to every 20.851b of milk. The top score in the "other breed or cross-breed " section went to a crossbred cow which -oroduced th" great quantity of milk. 108£lb, or over 6?gal of milk in the day. ' Her milk was rather poor in butter-fat, as she gave only 21b lloz of butter, equal to a pound of butter to every 2£gal of milk. This cow — a shorthorn- Jersey eross — gave the lowest percentage of butter of any of the competitors. In these tests, points were allowed for the 'time of calving, as well as the weight of butter produced, so that the cow yielding the greatest weight did not necessarily obtain the first prize. As a matter of fact one of the cows in the Jersey section, which gave more milk than the winner, failed to get into the prize money at all. * THE WEIGHT OF MILK. The specific gravity of milk, water being regarded as 1, is' about 1.030 ; it varies from 1.028 to 1.032. This means that a vessel capable of holding I.ooolb of water will hold 1.0301b of milk. Skim milk has, of course, a distinctly higher specific gravity than wholp milk, because the butter-fat, which is removed in the proco&s of skimming, is the lightest part of the milk. On an average, the specific gravity of skim milk varies from 1.036 to 1.04-0. Roughly speaking, a gallon of milk may be regarded as weighing 101b. THE COLOUR OF MILK. The colour of milk is due to the butter-fat which exists iri it in a state of suspension. The rest of the solid matter contained in milk — on an average of about 8 per cent. — exists in a state of solution. The butter-fat of the milk is present in the form of very small globules, and it has been advanced by suo'i a well-known authority as Fleischmann that if it were possible to remove all the butterfat globule^ from milkj the remaining liquids

would be almost colourless and transparent. This is the reason -why very poor milk is so apparently "thin" and wafery. -ROPINESS" IK MILK AND CREAM.

Some experiments at Cornell Experiment Station, summarised in the Journal of the Board of Agricultuie, shed a certain amount of light on the origin and means of prevention^ of this, common trouble. The cause is, generally understood to be the action of certain bacteria, and the species "which has been named Bacillus I.ictu vhoosus was the ascertained epuse ot the cases investigated at Cornell, it is not known how the bacteria reached the milk can-, but it id explained that its natural habit.it ib water, and it U advised that where the trouble occui^ particular caie should be taken to avoid the use of unboiled water for cleansing uton»iU, and aLo to prevent the cows from wading 111 water, as the bacteria may be transferred from water to milk by the agency oi mud. The only means by which the trouble can be removed are the careful and thorough scalding and cleaning of the cans and other utensils. The bacteria remain in the cans, and infect new milk unless thorough scalding is insisted upon. At Cornel] the small utensils were hi boiling water for three minutes, and the larger cans filled to the brim with scalding water, which is the course advised for private dairies subject to the trouble.