No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 313 



seven-tenths above the creamery tests. The uniform test for the two 

 milkin^s was eighth-tenth above that given at the creamery, the 

 Philadelphia chemist saying in his report that the milk presented 

 to him from this dairy was the most uniform presented for examina 

 tion for some time. 



Again, I myself took occasion to visit this creamery in question 

 and saw men bring in a can, one-half or three-fourths full of milk, 

 and take away full cans of skim milk, not counting the froth, for I 

 saw these men dip off the froth with their hands, so that the can 

 might contain more good solid skim milk. I know that many men 

 who bring no milk at all to this creamery carry away buckets and 

 cans of skim milk. In this interest I visited State College, and 

 talked at other points in the State with various chemists in an ef- 

 fort to be absolutely right in this matter and from what I hear I 

 am led to believe that sulphuric acid being exposed to the air for 

 some time, deteriorates from one cause or another, and cannot bring 

 the result desired or expected by the man who has milk to sell. One 

 young gentleman, a student at State College, told me, in attempting 

 to carry on his work during the college vacations, he had to visit 

 six or seven drug stores in a certain county before he was able to 

 secure "clean sulphuric acid" such as he knew he must have to get 

 the correct re-action. When I asked him what he meant, he said, 

 "Acid to bring the true re-action must be pure, and if pure will be 

 as clear as water. Many of the preparations offered me were smoky, 

 really opaque." Investigation along that line convince me that this 

 idea is correct, that tests made through the use of acid not up to the 

 standard is simply guess work, and a farce. 



I know of several instances where milk that would have gone to 

 this creamery became sour, and was churned by the farm people. 

 The return secured in butter being considerably above the return 

 that would have come had the butter-fat been separated at the 

 creamery. I know about the claims made by creamery managers re- 

 garding the weight of water and salt, etc., in the butter, as com- 

 pared with butter-fat alone, but "am from Missouri" and cannot see 

 where any harm would come to creameries, or to farmers, if a suf- 

 ficient number of men was added to the working force of the Dairy 

 and Food Commission of Pennsylvania to enable them to have in- 

 spected in all ways the various creameries of this State. If a farmer 

 happens to water his milk instead of his cow, he will most likely get 

 into trouble, and I believe the producer of dairy products is just as 

 much entitled to protection as is the consumer of such products. 

 Again, I believe it would be well to compel every creamery in this 

 Commonwealth to establish and maintain a system of mechanical de- 

 vices through which the farmer would have returned to him every 

 pint of skim milk belonging to him. This means "profit," it is his 

 right, and is a question entirely outside of the price he may secure 

 for his milk. It seems to me that the time has come when every milk 

 producer in this Commonwealth should take down his gun and go 

 after the unclassified predatory bird. I thank you. 



