It is suggested that the seasonal distribution of the sale of surplus calves through the collecting centres of the Ministry of Food in west Wales during the years 1943–6 is a reasonably accurate reflexion of the rate of calving in the areas associated with these centres. It is shown that between the centres there is a considerable difference in the seasonal distribution of calf sales, and that the percentage numbers of autumn calf sales (September to December) show a gradual decline from the westerly coastal centres to the easterly inland ones. It is also found that the figures for the milk production and particularly the milk deliveries into the factories during the period September to December support the above suggestion.

1. An experiment is reported in which the influence of washing the udder with hot and cold water and of reducing the milking time to 60% of the normal flow period (interval between putting on teat cups till main flow ceased) was studied over a period of 9 weeks in twenty cows.

2. The temperature of the udder washing water had no measurable effect on output of milk or speed of milking. The reduction in milking time failed to increase rate of milk flow and resulted in a fall in milk yield.

3. An experiment with ten cows is reported in which the teat cups were, for periods of 6 weeks, left on at each milking twice as long as was necessary to carry out a normal milking.

Neither the yield and quality of milk nor the rate of milking were affected.

Commercial sodium hypochlorites, whether containing KMnO4 or not, are shown to be corrosive at 150 p.p.m. available chlorine and 40° C. to metals such as aluminium, tinned copper, nickel silver and cast stainless steel (18 Cr, 8 Cu, 3 Mo) which are used in dairy equipment. Hypochlorites containing KMnO4 when aged are potentially dangerous to wrought 18/8 stainless steel. The attack is by pitting and therefore especially dangerous to all the metals investigated, and, in general, increases with increase of time of exposure and temperature.

Decay of sodium hypochlorite solutions results in conversion of NaOCl to NaCl and NaC103, which reaction is shown to follow a simple equation fairly closely in various storage conditions.

Attack on metals by sodium hypochlorite can be efficiently inhibited by addition of sodium silicate, which has a specific action in addition to the effect exerted by increase of alkalinity. NaOH and Na2CO3 additions to the same pH are not so effective and increase attack on aluminium.

Increase of pH from 9 to 10·5 by addition of Na2CO3 or sodium silicate reduces bactericidal efficiency of hypochlorites to the same extent.

Ten strains of ‘starter’ streptococci were found to be susceptible to penicillin. Streptococcus cremoris strains were markedly inhibited under the conditions employed by doses of 0·10 unit/ml. Str. lactis strains were not inhibited to the same degree unless 0·25–0·30 unit/ml. was present in the milk. These results would indicate that if penicillin is used extensively by farmers and the milk from treated quarters is included in the factory supply, difficulties may arise in cheese manufacture, especially when the more sensitive Str. cremoris strains are used as starter.

1. The fatty acids have been isolated from six samples of butter made rancid with pure cultures of bacteria and moulds, and from six samples of naturally rancid butter.

2. The fatty acids have been fractionated into volatile, solid and liquid groups.

3. The mould samples produced in every case a greater total of fatty acids than bacteria under identical conditions.

4. Bacteria produced relatively less volatile acids than moulds but slightly more solid acids.

5. Of the volatile acids produced it appears that bacteria produce a greater proportion of butyric and caproic acids than moulds.

6. The liquid acids make up by far the greatest proportion of the fatty acids recovered, being in each case between 77 and 85% of the total. Of these, oleic and linoleic probably comprise the majority.

1. Breads were made from flour of 85% extraction alone or supplemented with either 6% dry skim milk or 5·56% full-fat soya flour or 3% milk and 2·78% soya flour.

2. The biological values of the proteins of the breads, determined on rats by the balancesheet method, at an 8% level of protein intake, were respectively 56·7, 59·3, 62·6 and 61·9, and the true digestibilities 91·9, 90·6, 90·9 and 90·8.

3. The soya-flour protein exerted a supplementary effect on the proteins of the plain and of the milk bread. The possible reasons for this supplementary relationship are discussed.

4. Milk proteins had no such supplementary effect on the bread proteins.

Our thanks are due to Dr P. Halton of the Cereals Research Station for the preparation of the breads and to Mr G. Cooper for help with the nitrogen analysis.

A simple and rapid phosphatase test is described which is based on the use of p–nitrophenylphosphate as the substrate. Execution of the test requires few and easy operations: incubation of the milk at 37° C. with a buffered solution of the substrate, followed directly by a visual comparison of the intensity of yellow colour of liberated p–nitrophenol with that of boiled-milk standards containing known amounts of p–nitrophenol. The test permits the detection of minor processing faults with an incubation time of only 30 min. In this form it should prove of value in creamery control. A more searching, but equally simple test is obtained by increasing the period of incubation to 2 hr.