Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-20

contains, or who distributes ii as whole
milk and comes thereby into contact
with the state dairy law, knows that
| it is an extremely practical matter to
| investigate how much the daily flucsu-
| alton in the fat content OF the mixed
milk Of herd is. Is there any prob
/ ability that the milk of a herd may at
some time go below the legal require
ments for fat without there having
! been any adulteration OF the milk
! whatever The paper referred to in
Bulletin POI shows conclusively that
man with a herd of Holstein cows
might easily get caught IN this way
under the present state law, without
| any dishonesty whatever on his part,
/ simply as the result of the normal
daily fluctuations in the fat content OF
milk. This paper is the first attempt
which has ever been made anywhere
in the world to measure by proper
mathematical methods the amount OF
this variation. Can the publication Of
such results as this be justly called "a
waste OF the public money!" Here is
what Prof F. W. Wolf, of the Univer-
sity of California, formerly of Wis
consin, who is generally regarded as
one Of the foremost dairy authorities
in this country, says in Il private let
ter TO the author of this paper: Il
have read with great interest your
Bulletin 221 on Constants for Normal
/ V9riation in the Fat Content of Mixed
! Milk / hope that you may some
time be able to carry this particular
study further along SO tnat we may
come to understand definitely the Varf-
aticns to which the different milk
components are subject and their rela-
tive Importance"
The second paper IN this Bulletin 221
deals with a pedigree system for use
in breeding guinea pigs and rabbits.
What relation has this paper To agri-
cultural SCIENCE At a meeting Of the
Station Council held on April A. 1914
this body definitely authorized by
vote the department of biology of this
Station to undertake some experiments
in breeding small mammals, including
guinea pigs and rabbits. The reason
for this action of the Council is found
in the fact that the Station is under
taking u comprehensive investigation
of the laws of inheritance of milk pro-
duction and breeding for this quality
in dairy cattle. This is a difficult and
complicated problem which will require
years of investigation and experiment
tation. There are many experiments
which need to be performed for which
a dairy cow is too valuable an animal
to use. Any person of ordinary intel
ligence can readily see that 1t is econ
omy in every way to use for such ex-
perments small and inexpensive ami
mails which belong to the same class
as the dairy cow, namely the mann
mails. In this way, at the least eX-
pense and in the shortest space of
time, the preliminary results may be
obtained, which will serve as Il guide
to the most profitable ana valuable eX-
periments to be undertaken with the
cattle themselves.
An absolute essential to any sucn
investigation is an adequate system of
keeping pedigree records. Such a sys-
TEN was worked out a number of
years ago for use in connection With
the Station breeding experiments with
poultry. This method has proven
widely successful and has been adopt
ed, not only by experimenters but by
practical poultrymen who were keep
ing pure bred stock The Station has
received upon various occasions in
quiries from cattle breeders in the
State as to how this system could be
cordingly one of the biologists of The
Station has worked out a pedigree
system adapted to use with mammals
instead of with birds and 1t constitutes
the second paper in Bulletin 221. Any
livestock breeder who wants to keep
a pedigree record of his herd will no.
where find a more simple and adequate
method OF doing it than that describ-
ed in this paper.
The third paper in the bulletin has
the title THE Ability of Chickens TO
Digest Small Pieces of Aluminium
This article illustrates the utilization
for practical purposes of deductions
from notes made in the study Of other
problems It might be called by
product of an investigation.
The letter files of the Experiment
Station show that frequent inquiry is
received from poultry keepers in 1e-
gard to what will be the effect on
hens of swallowing pieces OF metal OF
various sorts which they pick up. The
whole question of the function of the
gizzard in poultry is a dlsputed one
and one OF great interest to poultry
keepers, as is witnessed by the ire
ouency of its discussion in the poultry
press. Very little definite information
is at hand upon it. One OF the blolo-
gists of the Station made the discoV-
cry as an incident to other inVestisa-
tons with poultry that the aluminium
leg bands commonly used by poultry
men who keep pedigrees were capable
of digestion in the gizzard.
Tho technical bulletins are sent free
to residents of the State on their re-
| quest, to libraries and to scientific
workers. To others they are priced at
ten cents copy. That the three pa
pers in Bulletin 221 are appreciated by
| other than scientific people is evidenc-
ed by the large number OF paid re-
quests that have come for 1t. Ii there
are individuals among those who wish
to be regarded as leaders in agricul-
! tural thought in Maine who are not
able to appreciate the value of the
! matter contained in Bulletin 22l 1t is q
matter of regret-not alone from the
standpoint of the Station but from the
larger and more important standpoint
of that part of the public who do not
take up matters OF this kind at flrst
hand. but who must to a greater or