producing 36,823 lb. of butter. The price paid for butter fat is 7d. per lb. For the corresponding period last year 102,381 gallons were received at the factory and branch creameries, producing 37,420 lb. of butter.

YEA.-The Yea Dairy Company is already projecting the erection of a creamery in the area that the new road over the ranges to Dropmore will open It will be the means of bringing within twelve miles of the railway a large area of dairying and grazing land which is now comparatively untenanted, owing to the absence of any road safe for vehicular traffic.

up.

ROSEBROOK CHEESE AND BUTTER FACTORY COMPANY.-At the haifyearly meeting of this company the balance-sheet submitted showed a profit of £124 on the six months, notwithstanding that the milk supply has fallen off about 25 per cent., even compared with the extremely bad season experienced last year. A dividend of 10 per cent. to the supplying shareholders and of 7 per cent. to non-suppliers was declared, whilst it was stated the average price paid per gallon for milk was 6d., this being the bighest of any of the district factories during the same period. The sum of £3,518 had been disbursed in the purchase of milk, whilst the butter sold had realised £3,171, and the concentrated milk £1,513. The directors were empowered to purchase the factory building for the sum of £1,300.

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Last October the Taralga butter factory put through 18,500 gallons of milk for 6,500 lb. butter. Suppliers were paid from 2d. to 2:82d. per gallon.

It is reported from Robertson that the Beehive Dairy Company put through 11,300 gallons of milk during October for a return of 3,996 lb. butter. Suppliers were paid equal to 2 d. per gallon for milk.

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The Waratah Dairy Company, at Kangaloon, put through 27,313 gallons of milk last October for 10,547 lb. of butter. Suppliers were paid 3d. per gallon.

The Pheasant Ground Dairy Company treated 7,421 gallons of milk last October for a return of 2,782 lb. of butter. Suppliers were paid 2d. per gallon.

Last October the Jindiandy Dairy Company put through 109,680 gallons of milk. It was the largest supply of milk ever received by the company for one month.

For the month of October the Robertson Creamery received 65,050 lb. of cream, which returned 42,200 lb. of butter.

The Albion Park Dairy Company held its twenty-sixth half-yearly meeting 29th October, when a dividend of 75 per cent. was declared. During the six months ended 30th September 351,810 gallons of milk were received at the factory, for which suppliers were paid an average price of 5d. per gallon. The average price received for butter was 102d. Mr. J. S. Arnott has been elected auditor, and Messrs. J. Fraser, T. Armstrong, J. Dawes, and J. Burns were nominated as directors. Owing to the large increase in the supply of milk, the company has disposed of its old separators, and put down three on the very latest principles of construction.

The eleventh half-yearly report of the Tongarra Dairy Company shows that during the six months 27,995 gallons of milk were treated at the factory, producing 12,577 lb. of butter, being an average yield of 1 lb. of butter from 22 lb. 3 oz. of milk. The average price received for butter was a fraction over 11 d. per lb. The average price paid suppliers for factory milk was 4d. The milk was tested on an average at the rate of 395. The milk sent to Sydney totalled 23,393 gallons, which was paid for at the average rate of 64d. per gallon. Messrs. E. Hazelton and T. Rogan were appointed directors, and Mr. J. Isard auditor.

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DENTITION OF CATTLE.

TELLING THE AGE BY THE TEETH.

Ir has been stated that no accurate opinion of the age of a calf can be formed until it is six months old; at that time the fourth molars (the back teeth which are used for grinding) are well developed. Between six and twelve months there are no important dental changes; the incisor (front or cutting teeth) become worn, and more space is left between them, but it is not possible to assert from the state of the incisor teeth whether an animal is under or over the age of one year. At one year a bullock has eight incisors, and shortly afterwards the fifth molar appears. At the age of twenty or twenty-one months the two central incisors become loose, and their successors, the first two broad teeth, may begin to show themselves.

At one year and seven months, in very forward animals, the first pair of permanent or broad incisors are cut, but they are never level with the other incisors before one year and ten months, and their perfect development is indicative of the age of two years, at which time the sixth and last permanent molars are in position, and any error of opinion as to age, which might arise from the permanent (or early) cutting of the central permanent incisors, may be corrected by reference to the state of the molars. When the animal is a month or two over two years, the first and second (counting from the front) permanent molars take the places of the permanent teeth. From two years and three months or two years and six months, the second pair of broad, front, or incisor teeth, the middle permanent incisors, occupy the place of the corresponding temporary teeth in all cultivated breeds. Instances of late dentition present themselves from time to time, in which the middle permanent incisors are not cut till the animal is approaching three years old. There is consequently a possible variation of six months in the time of the appearance of these teeth. It must be understood, in reference to the appearance of the second pair of broad teeth, that an expert, looking at a mouth which has four permanent incisors, will conclude that the animal is two years and a-half old; but if he is required to certify that the age is under or above that period, he must proceed to inspect the molar teeth, and take into account the animal's pedigree, its sex, and its general condition of development. If the animal in question is a bull, and has been forced to early maturity, it may be expected that the second pair of permanent incisors will be cut at two years and four months; and if either of the anterior (foremost) temporary molars remain in their places, the conclusion that the animal is under two years and a-half will be strengthened. Shortly after the first and second molars are cut, the third makes its appearance; occasionally it appears before the others, and the animal at the age of three years will have three anterior molars nearly level with the other teeth, but showing no signs of wear. The eruption of the third pair of permanent incisors may occur at any time between two years and six months and three years of age.

The anterior molars, however, afford more reliable evidence of the age between two and a-half and three years old than is furnished by the incisors. At three years of age the average condition of the teeth in cultivated breeds is -the fourth pair, or the corner permanent incisors, are well up, but they vary considerably. In well-bred cattle they take the place of the temporary teeth soon after the completion of the third year. In well-bred bulls they are often present at two years and ten months, while in some instances they are not cut till the animal is three years and nine mouths. Very little reliance indeed can be placed on the corner incisors, and the examiner is compelled to refer to the molar teeth to correct his opinion. With the exception of the corner permanent incisors, the fourth pair of broad teeth, the permanent dentition of the ox is completed, and after this period the changes in the form of the teeth from effects of attrition will assist the examiner in forming an opinion of the age. -Farmer and Stockbreeder.

ANILINE IN BUTTER-COLOUR.

WE make the following extracts from a communication sent to Farm and Dairy, New South Wales, by the New South Wales Fresh Food and Ice Company, at the instance of the Danish Butter Colour Company, Copenhagen:

Consequent upon the application of aniline in the manufacture of butter colour, the well-known factory of dairy preparation and the inventors of the "lactic acid ferment," of world-wide reputation, which has caused so great an improvement in the quality of butter, Messrs. Blauenfeldt and Tvede, at Copenhagen, Denmark, have sent the following circular to all the dairies in Denmark :

The Molkereizeitung, having in February, 1896, brought an article from the pen of the Danish consulting officer, Boggild, wherein the application of aniline was condemned most strongly, and consulting officer for the State, Nissen-Dall, in an address, seriously warned against the use of this colouring matter, one should assume that butter-colouring with aniline was excluded from the dairies, especially as it subsequently has become known that butter coloured with aniline and margarine, by means of certain analytical tests, could react in one and the same way.

We received, meanwhile, at the close of last summer, from several of our English business friends, inquiries which caused us to examine somewhat closer these circumstances, and it turned out that there was to be found a great deal of Swedish and Norwegian, as well as Finland, Danish, and Sleswig butter which was coloured with aniline, and that there was, to a large extent, sold, butter which in taste and smell resembled butter-colour, but which at its examination proved itself to be a mixture of orlean and aniline, no doubt produced in happy unconsciousness of the fact that both substances could be separated from each other, and each one traced by itself.

On account of these results, we spoke our mind and made dairies as well as the dairy authorities of this country acquainted with these circumstances. By means of a circular, which we distributed at the Kolding Exhibition, and, later, sent out to all Danish customers, we at the same time gave the dairies directions in an easy way by own help to examine the colour to be used, and thereby to protect themselves against any intermixture of aniline into the butter. This direction we give herewith below.

In conclusion, we beg to remark that the dairies must not use any buttercolour mixed with aniline if they will not subject their butter to the suspicion that it contains margarine.

Also, all other countries which produce butter should, in order to prevent an adulteration of butter through margarine, strictly take heed that only aniline free butter-colour is used.

DIRECTION FOR ANALYSIS.

Pour a few drops of butter-colour upon a white china plate and over-pour these with a few drops of pure concentrated sulphuric acid.

If the butter-colour is vegetable colour (orlean or orlean seed), there appears a dark bluish-green colour, which gradually goes over to greenishyellow.

If the butter-colour, however, contains aniline eller tar colour, there appears, by adding sulphuric acid, a 1ed margin, or red spots, which gradually spread themselves over the whole.

JERSEY COWS.

THE average yield of milk from a good Jersey eow, fed on artificial food, and milked twice a day, should be about 450 gallons a year. Some cows give as much as 700 gallons a year.

The quantity of butter which may be expected from such a cow-i.e., one giving 450 gallons-is 200 lb.

If the milk test shows 36 of butter-fat, then 25 lb. of milk will produce 1 lb. of butter. If the cream shows 40 per cent. of butter-fat, 2 lb. of cream will produce 1 lb of butter. A gallon of milk weighs 10:25 (or 10) lb. The price of milk and cream paid by the factories all the year round is regulated by the market price of butter, the standard being 36 per cent. of butter-fat.

As bearing out the above statements (which will furnish answers to several questions put to us by a correspondent), we instance some Jersey cows at the Queensland Agricultural College.

Under the management of the Principal, Mr. John Mahon, the general dairy herd has improved by leaps and bounds. One Jersey cow, which has been milking for six months, and may probably go on milking for another twelve months, has given an immense yield of milk. We take the month of October. In that month she was under our own observation, and her record was 713 lb. of milk, which yielded 39 lb. of butter, the test showing 48 of butter-fat.

Another Jersey gave 28:32 lb. of butter from 749 lb. of milk, during the same month; the test showing 34 of butter-fat.

Yet another gave 30 19 lb. of commercial butter, with 36 of butter-fat, from the same quantity of milk (749 lb.).

With 4 per cent. of butter-fat, a fourth of the Jerseys gave 29·16 lb. of butter for the month.

This month is chosen because fodder was rather scarce, the ensilage was finished, and the rations consisted of green maize and lucerne fodder with a little bran and molasses.

The average monthly yield from twenty cows was 25 lb. of commercial

butter.

Now, taking the first of these cows, we find that she gives milk at the rate of 8,556 lb. of milk per annum (her record having been steady, and occasionally, with barley ensilage, showing a greater yield).

A gallon of milk weighing, as we have shown, 10 lb., she yields nearly 835 gallons a year.

The milking record of the others may be calculated in the same way.

As there is now a large amount of green fodder available on the College farm, it is pretty certain that these cows will yet improve, and break their record.

Owing to want of stall accommodation, a thorough system of feeding cannot yet be carried out at the College, as, although feed is available, sufficient time cannot be allowed for each animal to be thoroughly and satisfactorily fed, as one batch, after being milked, has to be turned out to make room for the next. This will, however, shortly be remedied-plans of new and extensive cowsheds having been prepared.

The actual returns from the dairy for the month of October are as follow. Number of cows milked 40, some of which are the old inferior stock :