826 



THE VARIABILITY OF COWS MILK, 



Table i. 

 Weights of milk obtained at morning- and afternoon-milkings. 



Mean: morning, 376; afternoon, 7 '03; ratio, 1'87. 



The average ratio of the weight of the moriiiiig-milk to the 

 weight of the afternoon-milk is thus very nearly 2, and is practi- 

 cally the same as tlie ratio between the times between the consecu- 

 tive milkings. 



The cows, from which the samples of milk were obtained, were 

 milked by hand in the ordinary way, in every case. No attempt 

 was made to strip the udders. 



The whole of the milk yielded by each cow at the milking was 

 thoroughly mixed together by pouring from one vessel into another, 

 six times. This is the method recommended by the Committee 

 appointed by the London Board of Agriculture, to enquire into the 

 methods of sampling milk (1911). In the present case, an addi- 

 ditional precaution was taken to secure a thoroughly representative 

 sample. The sample was not taken from one portion of the mixed 

 milking, but, as the milk was being finally poured into the con- 

 tainer, a portion of the stream was diverted into the sampling 

 vessel. In this way, a sample was obtained from all portions of 

 the mixed milk. 



After what has been written above, with regard to the extreme 

 variation of the fat-content, between the first and last portions of 

 a milking, it is unnecessary to emphasise the importance of 



