No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 220 



5. The shipper's name should be placed upon the package for pur- 

 poses of identification. 



DISCUSSION. 



Q. What is the cause of the milk test being high in the fall and lo\f 

 in the spring? 



A. The usual cauee for milk tests running higher in the fall than 

 in the spring i-s the fact that the cows are farther along in lactation, 

 farther advanced in pregnancy, and that the material which had 

 hitherto been going to the manufacture of milk goes in part to the 

 building up of the body of the unborn calf. Thi« cuts down the 

 amount of milk, but not the amount of food material it contains pro- 

 portional to the milk shrinkage; hence the quality of the milk is bet- 

 tered. 



Q. What would be the temperature of the acid and of the milk 

 when testing? 



A. It is wise to have the temperature of the acid and of the milk 

 about the same. It does not make any great difference whether this 

 temperature be 50 or 70 degrees, so long as they both are about the 

 same. Better results are obtained Avhen the temperature ranges be- 

 tween 50 to 70 degrees than if they be lower. I do not, myself, lay 

 as great stress as do some on this matter of the temperature of the 

 acid and milk, providing, rb I have above remarked, they are nearly 

 alike. 



Q. If samples of milk are taken every morning, what is the best 

 method of preserving the milk until it is tested? 



A. The milk is best preserved by the use of either one of two chem- 

 icals — • corrosive sublimate or formalin. Each of these materials 

 has its advantages and disadvantages. The former is a violent 

 poison, but otherwise an ideal material. The latter is non-poisonous, 

 or practically so, but hardens the curd, making it a little more bother 

 to dissolve it, when the acid and milk are mixed together. The tests 

 where formalin is used always afford very clear readings, its preser- 

 vative powers are great, it is very cheap, and I believe all things con- 

 sidered is to be preferred over corrosive sublimate. 



Q. Would there be any difference in the milk of a herd well stabled 

 in the winter, and that of bne not well sheltered? 



A. The herd which is well stabled would be likely to make more of 

 a somewhat poorer milk than would the one not well sheltered, all 

 other things being equal. This does not mean that one may improve 

 the richness of the milk of his herd by ill treatment, but simply that 

 exposure of any kind tends to lessen the milk flow, lessening the 

 liquid portion more proportionately than the solid matter. As I 

 remarked in the course of my address, no one can afford, in my judg- 

 ment, to endeavor to warm all outdoors with the food fed to a herd 



