66 VERMONT DAIRYMEN'S REPORT. 



though the temperature of the surrounding air is near the freez- 

 ing point. 



With the jars, crocks, and the common "shot-gun" cans, as 

 they are called, the skimming is done by dipping the cream from 

 the top, but with the Cooley cans and many other creamers it is 

 done by drawing the milk off from the bottom and leaving the 

 cream. There is a strip of glass inserted in the side of most of 

 these cans, so that the depth of the cream can be seen. With 

 deep cold setting the cream is always sweet and thin, and where 

 the skimming is done from the top it requires a great deal of skill 

 to dip the cream off without getting some of it mixed with the 

 milk and lost. Much more cream, and consequently butter, is 

 lost in this way than is ever dreamed of by those who practice it. 

 A conical or pointed dipper is the best kind of skimmer for this 

 work. In using it insert the point of the skimmer in the middle 

 of the can and press it down very gently till the cream slowly runs 

 over into it. When it is filled carefully lift it out and empty it ; 

 then put it into the can in the same place it was before — that is, 

 in the middle — and repeat the operation till the cream is all off. 

 This work should be done very carefully, so as not to create any 

 commotion in the milk; and even with the best of care some of 

 the cream will get mixed with the milk and lost. Much the best 

 way is to skim by means of a faucet, drawing off the milk rather 

 slowly at the bottom, so as not to create currents in the milk, and 

 leaving about one-half an inch of milk under the cream. 



THE FARM SEPARATOR. 



By the use of the cream separator a much more perfect sepa- 

 ration of the cream from the milk may be had than by any system 

 of setting milk. This is shown by the increased amount of butter 

 made when the separator is used, and also b3 ? the lessened amount 

 of butter-fat left in the milk after skimming, as .shown by the Bab- 

 cock milk test. It has been found that by no system of gravity 

 creaming can all the butter-fat be recovered ; and usually, under 

 ordinary conditions, a large per cent is lost; while with the sepa- 

 rator very nearly all is recovered. 



I have been engaged in dairy convention work in New Eng- 

 land for several years. At most meetings milk has been tested 

 with a Babcock tester carried along for the purpose. Farmers 

 were invited to bring in samples of milk to be tested in order that 

 they might see the variation in value of different milks, and for 

 the purpose of illustrating and explaining the working of the 

 machine. They were especially urged to bring in samples of 

 skim-milk — that which they thought had been thoroughly creamed 

 — so that the audience might see what the loss was. Report of 

 these tests ranged from 0.80 per cent to 1.60 per cent. This was 



