, 1913-02-12

Of the o od-supply of Great Britain and Ire
land.
After the presidential address there came
papers on milk. In one of these it was con-
tended that, where Interpretation of milk
records from many COWS is required, a cows
milking capacity should be expressed by a
single and unqualified figure. Such figures
as total yield per calf, total yield per calen-
dar year, OF average per week, always vary
greatly from time to time, for the same ami
NAL, because they are much influenced by
outside conditions. 1t is therefore claimed
that better results are obtained by the use
Of: the maximum yield per day, the average
yield per day, during the fifth to twelfth
week after calving, and the maximum yield
per Gay maintained or exceeded for not less
than three weeks The conclusions of n se-
cond paper possess their importance in the
feeding Of COWS. They state that when COWS
are given a large quantity Of water, the
amount of water is not increased, nor the
proportion of fat decreased, in the milk; and
that concentrated ratlOns give the largest
yields of milk, although milk from COWS fed
on turnlps contained q greater quantity of
fat-more Ill fact than was in the original
ration. Another paper drew attention to
the circumstance that the fat glObules in
milk vary considerably in size, even in diff
ferent miiks from the same breed of COWS,
and that as far as the authors could ascer-
tain, there is no evidence to support the con-
clusion of Storch that these globules are sur
rounded by a membrane.
The opening of the discussion of the ma
tlon's food-supply was the means of bringing
forward several facts that are of all the
greater interest because they have not per-
haps been thoroughly recognized up to the
present. Among them was the striking con-
clusion from statistics, that rather more than
one-haIf of its total food requirements are
produced by the United Kiugdom-tha is
to say, excluding products like sugar, ten
and coffee, which are not, or cannot, be
grown to any extent in the country. The
actual figures are about one hundred and
eighty million pounds for home production
and two hundred and sixty million for i'm
ports, of which latter quantity thirty-nine
million pounds pays orsugar, tea, coffee and
cocoa. AS is stated: ''These figures came as
q great surprise to the meeting, and it is GER
tainly satisfactory to know that British agri-
culture has so well main aimed its position IN
competition with other countries There is,
however, a matter for regret IN the falling off
in wheat production, which seems to be part
ly due to the competition arising from the
circumstance that wheat appears to be a pio-
neer crop in the development of those new
countries to which it is suited.
An account of the progress of agriculture
in Scotland during the past fifty years show
ed that, while there hns been q decrease of
many thousands Of acres under grain, tur-
nips and potatoes, the areas under rotation
and permanent grasses have increased-the
latter very considerably. There have also
been large increases per acre of all crops,
particularly of wheat and potatoes.
In order to deal effectively with meteoro-
logical matter, a joint meeting was held with
the meteorological department of the mathe-
NAUTICAL and physical science section. Dr.. w.
N. Shaw opened the session by dwelling up
on the use to the agriculturist of forecasts,
and the application Of the present knowledge
of climate; in the latter connexion, the me-
teorologist wanted to know if his statistics
are useful to the agriculturist, and in what
form they should be presented for employ
ment by him. Among the papers that were
Of more direct agricultural interest was an
account by DR.. Il. j. Russell Of the effect of
climate on the plant, both din ectly, and indi-
rectly through It's influence on the soil; in
the latter conneXiou, the chief matter for
consideration was the increase Of nltrates in
the soil during warm weather, and heir re-
moval bv heavy rains. Another matter Of