GRADING MILK AND CREAM 85 



63. History. Cream was first graded about 1905. 

 In most of the smaller creameries, the grading has con- 

 sisted in not accepting the poor goods, thus leaving only 

 one grade. In many of the large centralizer creameries, 

 several methods have been tried. The first method 

 consisted of the collection of farm-separated cream by 

 agents in various towns. These agents were usually 

 store-keepers. When the farmer took his cream to the 

 store, the agent weighed and sampled it, putting the 

 sample in a small screw-top bottle. Then he either 

 dropped it into the can of cream into which the farmer's 

 cream had been poured, or placed it in a rack which fitted 

 in the neck of the can. When the cream reached the 

 factory, which may have been as far as 400 or 500 miles 

 away, it was graded by the butter-maker according to 

 taste and smell. The percentage of fat was also con- 

 sidered in the grading, for cream containing less than 25 

 per cent fat was difficult to pasteurize and churn. It 

 is apparent that this method of grading could not be 

 satisfactory, because the good and bad cream were 

 mixed ; also the average small collector is not a good 

 judge. In other creameries, where the cream was collected 

 by route drivers, a poor attempt was made to grade on 

 the fat basis only, for these men were not good judges of 

 cream. The route drivers weighed and sampled the 

 patron's cream and then poured it into a large can in their 

 wagons. Still other creameries had collecting stations 

 larger than the store stations described above. These 

 operators attempted to grade the cream. By the time 

 it had reached the creamery, the flavor had changed often 

 to such an extent that the first grading was of no avail. 



64. Practicable methods of grading. The methods 

 of grading milk or cream have varied, and in many cases 



