milk adulteration case ever brought into court in which any other defence is raised. The allowance is always said to be insufficient, and the unfortunate milkman has cows worse in quality than those which have been tested by the analysts, and consequently he obtains milk poorer in quality and worse in character than any which they have seen. This argument, however, has pretty nearly spent itself; it is only occasionally that there is any magistrate who is found to listen to it.
In conclusion, it will be interesting to notice the extent to which pure milk is sold in London. The returns which are made under the Adulteration Acts specify the percentage of adulteration found in each sample, while the tabulated reports issued in the blue books state only the number of adulterated samples, and taking the case of milk do not give the percentage of skimming or watering. This of course seriously diminishes the value of the returns. It is therefore surprising to find that only on one occasion during the last seven years has the percentage of adulterated samples of milk fallen below 20. Out of every 100 samples of milk purchased by the inspectors 20·35 were adulterated, even on the lenient limit of calculation used. But by looking to London alone you will get a better illustration still. At some considerable trouble I have endeavoured to find out what the quality of the average milk supply of London really is. Londoners within the area of the London water companies, supplies number nearly, or quite, four-and-three-quarter millions, say 4,760,000, and the cost of the milk supply is therefore a tolerably large figure.
The limit of pure milk has by almost (but not quite) universal consent been fixed at 9·00 per cent, solids (not fat) and 2·50 per cent. fat. My opinion is that this is if anything too low, especially in fat; so I procured 55 samples during the month of October from entire dairies of milk as the milk arrived in London. The farmers’ men may have added a little water, but, unless in one case, I have no reason to think that this has been done. No
