20 Milk Records. 



is available for such milk. The quantity of milk, rather than 

 its qualitj', should therefore be the aim of milk recording 

 societies here. With the exception of Canada — where rather 

 too long a period of lactation is permitted — the quantity of 

 milk necessary to reach the standard in the other countries 

 does not appear to be excessive. 



The tendency of the milk yield trials— and probably that 

 of every milk recording society — seems to be to encourage 

 large yields of milk to the possible detriment («) of the quality 

 of the milk, and (h) of the particular animal. 



Taking the quality of the milk first, it would almost seem 

 necessary that in milk record societies a condition should be 

 insisted upon requiring occasional sampling and testing for 

 percentage of fat. To take samples and test milk correctly 

 presupposes the presence of an Inspector, as the value of 

 such test depends entirely on the way the sample is taken 

 and subsequently manipulated ; but, for the reason given 

 above, sampling of milk in England two or three times 

 during the period of lactation should be sufficient, as all that 

 is needed is that the milk should show not less than 3 per 

 cent. fat. Although for this purpose the testing of milk for 

 fat by the Gerber process is quite sufficient, the fat percen- 

 tage shown by this method should not be the basis from which 

 the pounds of butter fat are calculated. This appears to be the 

 practice in most countries, but in my opinion it is not reliable 

 unless the sampling and testing are carried out by the same 

 person, who ought to be an expert. Where it is desired to 

 ascertain the true value of a cow's milk for butter production 

 — even when the milk has been sampled by an expert — the 

 butter should be obtained by the ordinary process of separat- 

 ing and churning, as a check on the calculated weight, as the 

 milk of difi:erent breeds varies in many particulars. In some 

 the cream rises very rapidly, while in others it takes a longer 

 time, and for this reason alone, unless the greatest care is 

 taken in getting a correct sample, it is quite possible for a 

 mistake to be made. I have known three different readings 

 obtained from three samples of milk, all drawn at the same 

 time from the one bulk, immediately after the milk has been 

 weighed. 



Again, it is a matter of common knowledge that some milks 

 do not churn as well as others, and that butter fat passes away 

 in the buttermilk, this being accounted for hy the dift'erence in 

 size of, and want of uniformity in, the fat globules. To assume, 

 therefore, in every case that the calculated nunil:)er of pounds 

 of butter fat — plus an allowance for water — represents the 

 butter that would be obtained from the same weight of milk 

 by churning, is wrong. 



