WHY CREAM TESTS .VARY 109 



exists between the cream suppliers and the respec- 

 tive creameries, in so far as the variations in cream 

 tests are concerned. 



After a long and varied experience of dairying in 

 every part of South Africa, I have come to the con- 

 clusion that creams which only vary in butter-fat 

 content between 40 % and 50 % give the most 

 satisfactory results. Personally I prefer a 45 % 

 cream, but so long as the butter fat does not fall 

 below 40 % or exceed 50 % excellent results can be 

 obtained. What, however, is found to exist in 

 actual practice is quite another story. One has only 

 to examine the testing registers at the various 

 creameries, when it will be noticed that cream tests 

 vary from 15 % to over 60 %, and it is just these 

 variations in the consistency of the cream which 

 worry the life out of our creamery managers, and 

 cause so much dissatisfaction among the cream 

 suppliers. Further than this, how very frequently 

 one hears the remark that So-and-so's test this week 

 was 55 %, but So-and-so beat him as his test was 

 over 60 %. Now if these suppliers would only 

 think for one moment they would soon come to the 

 logical conclusion that they are producing not only 

 a very heavy-bodied cream which the creamery 

 manager does not require, but are doing so at a 

 considerable loss to themselves, for no separator 

 will skim as clean when producing creams containing 

 from 55 % to 60 % butter fat as it will when the test 



