The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-04-27
FARM NEWS FROM
STATE UNIVERSITY
Associated Press Dispatch.l

st. Paul, April 24.-So successful
have the laboratory efforts Of the
division of biochemistry Of the Min
nesota Agricultural Experiment Sta
, ton at the University FARM here,
been that industries deriving their
raw materials from the dairy and
grain farm, as well as other farms,
have been turning with increasing
frequency to this division for infor
| nation and assistance. DR.. K. A.
Gortner is chief of the division OF
! biochemistry.
/ Among its investigation have been
those OF milk vitamins, vitamin con-
tent of milk powders and butter,
"sandiness" in ice cream, and special
investigations in cereal chemistry.
Dr. Leroy S. Palmer, in charge of
dairy chemistry, has found the
vitamirs in milk have their source
in what COWS eat; in other words.
If a COW does not get the right kinds
of feeds the milk will be lacking il
vitamins. Also, it was found, pas-
lures do not necessarily supply tine
vitamin element in the dairy cows
ration, and that the use of silage,
legume hay, corn, bran, oats and oil
meal mixture can be used all tha
year round-winter as we'll as SUI,
mer-for more health giving diet
year in and year out.
In the study of the vitaInin con-
tent Of milk powders, the chemists
found that in the four kinds OF re-
made milks tested at its laboratories,
dreaming was absent, and that the
soluble protein content is below
normal except for milk made from
while information to the man and
woman Of fndav
Keeping qualities Of whole milk
powders was also looked into. and
in this it was discovered that Gin
temperate climates on the whole the
best storage conditions exist at
room temperature, although cold
storage and even tropical temper
ature can be used if the powder is
in sealed tins and does not contain
a larger volume of air in the powder
Laboratory tests seem to indicate
that the vitamin content of butter
diminishes after nine months in
storage at low temperatures.
"Sandiness" in ice cream was
found to be problem of crystal
growth in ice, and results from high
er temperatures in retail store
cabinets than prevails at the manu-
featuring ice cream plants. Properly
small stocks easily replenished are
suggested remedies.
In the milling business, and it's
ally, the bakery, the investigations
have attracted the attention of mil
lers and bakers not only in this
country, but of abroad, and has
brought milling and bakery chemists
to the university to make special
studies in problems of cereal chem
istry, according to DR.. c. H. Bailey,
associate of Dr. Gortner.
Two outstanding important con-
tributions of these latter investiga-
tons have been the means of deter
mining quickly and easily the rate
of fermentation Of bread doughs in
large masses, such as handled in
wholesale bakeries, and the effect of
chlorine bleaching of wheat flour.
Chemists found that bleaching, if
properly done, has the effect Of ag-
ing, thereby improving the baking
qualities Of flour.
One OF the best ways to Increase
farm area is by the drainage of soft
spots rather than by the purchase
OF additional acres. according to III.
B. Roe. of the division of farm
engineering at the University farm,
who has made extended inyestiga-
Iioho inlo IdEHi drainage IN MIME
sofa.
In recent bulletin issued BY the
university department of Agricul-
ture. Mr. Roe points out that In in
stalling Is farm drainage systems in
Minnesota the average market value
of the lands Of which about 20 per
cent were tillable before drainage
was S117.29 per acre. This meant
that the land actually of use and till
able was worth $167 an acre: Re-
claiming of the waste spots and
making them fully tillable cost
about $77 an acre, or about $50 less
than tillable acres could be bought
for. In addition, drainage improves
quality and quantity of crops, checks
heaving by frost, insures against
dourth, prevents floods and a num-
Der of other benefits as we'll as adj
ding greatly to the farms appear
ance, he declared.