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1910]
280
he lived there. She would not have acknowledged the fact had not the Warrant
Officer threatened her with punishment for shielding Welch.
The case was heard at Clerkenwell, and the defendant, who admitted he
was Welch, was fined £30 12s. 6d., or three months' imprisonment. He went
to gaol.
Sunday Milks.—During the year 160 samples of milk were purchased on
Sundays, and of these 14, or 8.7 per cent., were reported by the Public Analyst
as being adulterated. This compares with 8.8 per cent. in 1909, and 9.4 per
cent. in 1908.
The amount of adulteration is considerably lower than that of the milk
sold on week-days, which is a noteworthy circumstance, as formerly the milks
that were purveyed on Sundays invariably showed a higher percentage of
adulteration.
Week-day Milks.—336 samples were examined, of which 44, or 13.1 per
cent, were adulterated. This percentage compared with 6.7 in 1909, with 10.2
in 1908, and 8.2 in 1907.
Farmers' Milks. The samples of these milks were all taken at the railway
stations as they arrived from the farms. Their analyses may, therefore,
be taken as showing the state of milk which is delivered by farmers.
Altogether 125 samples were obtained, and all were declared by the analyst
to be genuine. They were, therefore, above the official standard. The
average percentage of adulteration of these milks during the last thirteen years
has been only 1.6, and it is a noteworthy fact that in 1898, 1900, 1904, 1907,
and 1910 all the tested milks were above the official standard. There is no
doubt that taken as a whole the English farmer is an honest man, and rarely
adulterates his milk. It is not to be supposed from this remark that he is also
a wise man, for undoubtedly he at times keeps cattle which supply poor milk
and do not pay for their keep. As a rule he keeps no records of the amount
and quality of the milk of each of his cows, and, therefore, animals are to be
found in many herds whose milk neither comes up to the standard nor pays for
the fodder which they consume.