to do something on the experimental farm, there will be no hesitation on the part of the Governor to carry out your wishes. I say this much, not in opposition to lawyers, for the lawyers in that body, I am proud to say, are honorable, upright men. Prof. Henry has called your attention to the preparations for fish culture in this state. I have not a word to say against anything that can be done properly for the fish culture, but look at the great interests of this state. The dairying interest is given $500 a year. Fish culture, I think, $6,000 annually. Now, compare the benefits resulting from the two industries in this state. What would Wisconsin do to-day, where would her reputation be to-day, if the dairy interests of this state were annihilated? She is not noted for corn or pork or beef; she only stands preeminent among her sister states because of her ability and her superiority in the production of dairy products.

There is no other industry in this state which stands out so prominent as the dairy interests, and yet we spend more for soldiers in this state than we do for the whole agricultural interests. Of course, I say nothing against the other matters, but in view of the vital importance of the agricultural Department, let us from this point on take an interest in these matters, and bring our wishes to the Governor's ear.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON NOMINATION OF

OFFICERS.

Mr. President - Your committee on the nomination of officers for the ensuing year, would recommend the following:

For President - W. H. Morrison, Elkhorn.

Vice Presidents - All previous presidents of the association.

For Secretary - D. W. Curtis, Fort Atkinson.

For Treasurer - H. K. Loomis, Sheboygan Falls.

Respectfully submitted,

HIRAM SMITH,
R. D. TORREY,

F. B. FARGO,

Committee.

The report of the committee was adopted, and Mr. Morrison being called upon responded as follows:

Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association - This is certainly an unexpected compliment. I am not intimately connected with dairymen, although I have a farm, but my hopes, my sympathies are with you, and I will do my part to the best of my ability. I thank you for the compliment you have paid me.

MILK AND ITS PRODUCTS.

By F. C. CURTIS, Rocky Run, Wis.

The subject of "Milk and its Products," given me by the secretary for discussion, is certainly one of sufficient latitude for a paper of greater length than I have time to write or this convention to give its attention in hearing read. I shall therefore confine myself to that part of the subject which appears to me to most interest this convention. For instance, the milk of different animals is used in different parts of the world, but I shall confine my remarks to that produced by the cow as really the only one in which we are at present interested. Milk is heavier than water-usually in proportion of 103 to 100; when taken from the animal it is slightly alkaline, but when exposed to the air it soon loses this character, and shows a slight degree of acidity. Johnson's Chemistry states that "if sour milk is gently warmed it undergoes fermentation, and may be made to yield intoxicating liquor." This is probably from the sugar it contains. Professors Chevalier and Henry give the composition of cow's milk as: Casein, 4.48; butter, 3.13; milk sugar, 4.77; saline matter, 0.60; water, 87.02. In manufacturing milk into its various products, it is well to consider these different ingredients and their bearings upon the subject. We see milk is largely composed of water, and we find that it is a bad conductor of heat; that is, it heats slowly and cools. slowly, much slower than water. If this is true, and there is no doubt of it, it is for the reason that these substances it contains other than water are the cause of its non-conduct

ing characteristics. Milk will cool much faster when the vessel which contains it is placed in water, though the water may be no colder than the surrounding atmosphere. To prove this, place a vessel of milk partly submerged in water. In a short time the lower portion of the milk will be found as cool as the water, while that portion of the milk above the water will still retain warmth. If the vessel is large and submerged in water, it will be found to cool much quicker. upon the outer portion of the milk, the inner part retaining. heat in proportion to the diameter of the body of milk, and if the diameter of the vessel is so large that the milk will not cool to the center within four hours, putrefaction will commence to take place. Those changing from the oldfashioned methods of raising cream, should study this subject and its bearings.

I have often heard dairy women discuss the relative advantage of the milk pan-being full, or a less quantity of milk. My opinion would be, if the temperature of the atmosphere was sixty-two degrees, or a little colder, the full pan would be much the best. If the temperature was sixtyfive, or warmer, a less quantity would be better, for the reason that the small quantity would cool sooner and putrefaction would be retarded. I am under the impression that this question of heat in milk and its bearing is not as well understood as it should be. Some call it "animal heat," as though it was different from other heat; that there is something about it obnoxious and must be separated. I hold that animal heat is not obnoxious, and not mainly different from other heat. That in separating cream from the milk we can take advantage of it and make it assist in the separation. Milk, in cooling from blood heat, ninety-eight degrees, to forty-five degrees, will shrink in bulk about one ounce to the gallon. If this is true, and I know it to be so from actual experiment, let us see if we cannot make this feature or characteristic useful.

I have shown that milk is about seven-eighths water, and that it holds heat much longer than water. This being the case it is evident that the eighth which is not water is the part that holds the heat the longest; hence a tin vessel holding milk at nearly blood heat and submerged in water cools

the milk suddenly, or its watery portion first shrinking it and making it heavier in proportion to its bulk, while the creamy portion retains its bulk and buoys to the top.

The only danger to the unexperienced is, the diameter of the vessel containing the milk may be too great, or that the water which contains it gets too warm as the warmth of the milk appears to be conducted to the water, or warms it up similar to a hot iron placed in water. The late plan of deep setting milk in cold water, and closely covering it, I think, has another advantage that has not been considered.

Johnston, after stating that milk can be made to yield an intoxicating liquor, says, "By longer exposure to the air it gradually begins to putrefy, becomes disagreeable to the taste, emits an unpleasant odor, and ceases to be a wholesome article of food."

It needs no argument to prove that milk when exposed to the atmosphere is a strong absorbent, and draws in objectionable matter that the atmosphere contains, as well as being injuriously acted upon by the atmosphere.

A few years ago I was subpoenaed as a witness in a butter suit. A party had bought quite a quantity of nice looking roll butter, and had stored it in an unused room, the butter being uncovered and exposed to a strong light-this was late in the fall. Some six weeks had transpired and the purchaser found his butter had turned white particularly on the side toward the light, and had acquired a bad taste, and upon tasting and examining he was satisfied that he had been defrauded by the mixture of tallow this was before the days of oleomargerine-hence the suit for damage. The butter undoubtedly was good when sold, and changed by the action of the atmosphere. From my observations I hold that the less milk, cream or butter is exposed to the atmosphere the better will be its quality and the longer its keeping qualities. All animal and vegetable life after maturity commences to decay, and this decay is advanced or retarded in proportion to its exposure to atmospherical influences.

Remember milk is about one-eighth a kind of animal life, and upon being drawn from the cow this life ceases and decomposition is the early result, unless checked by some

preservative process. What can more conduce to its preservation than to exclude it from the atmosphere as much as possible.

Milk evidently varies in quality. I believe our excellent friend and coadjutor, Hiram Smith, holds that milk produced from cows soon after coming in, makes the highest flavored butter. Cataneo, an Italian, holds that milk does not reach perfection until eight months after calving. Johnston claims that a cow does not reach perfection until she has three or four calves-and then continues good until ten or twelve years old — that the poorer the apparent condition of the cow, good food being given, the richer in general is the milk — that the quality of the milk depends much upon the race and size of the cow. As a general rule, small races or small individuals of a larger race give the richest milk from the same kind of food; that the kind of food has probably more influence upon the quality of the milk than any other circumstance. It is familiar to every dairy farmer that the taste and color of his milk and cream are affected by the plants on which his cows feed, and by the food he gives them in his stall. If madder is given to cows the milk is red; if they eat saffron it becomes yellow." Remember this is from an English chemist.

Pure water accessible at all times is very necessary to the production of good milk. A near neighbor the past season found his cows giving less milk, becoming nearly dry, and the butter product could hardly be used; upon examining for the cause, he found the pond from which they drank was putrid and nearly dry. He then watered them from his well, and the change for the better was perceptible at once. It is well known that animals of the same breed, fed on the same food, will yield milk not only in different quantities, but also of very different quality; while we find the cows of the present time variable in quality, we find them much improved above the cow in a state of nature, and I doubt not, still susceptible of further improvement. Our true policy undoubtedly is to feed and shelter our cows well, and improve them by judicious breeding. We can select our breeding males from the best sources, although the increas