RECEIVING MitK AND CREAM 121 



the tasting and smelling of the cream and the success of this 

 method is controlled largely by the grader's keenness of these 

 senses and his knowledge and ability to quickly decide on the 

 proper placing of cream so, graded. 



Grading by the Senses of Taste and Smell. The earlier at- 

 tempts to grade cream by this method were crude, unsightly and 

 unsanitary at best. The operator sampled the cream by stick- 

 ing his fingers into the cream and "licking" them off. Aside from 

 the ethical and sanitary aspect, this practice was objectionable 

 because the results were very crude, did not permit of close 

 grading and often were misleading. By this practice there is 

 always danger of carrying the flavor of one can to the next, con- 

 siderable cream adhering to the fingers after tasting it. In this 

 way the bad flavor of the first can may also be detected in the 

 tasting of the next can, although the cream in the second can 

 may be entirely free from that flavor. Thus the second can 

 would naturally be erroneously put in the same grade as the first. 



The objectionable features of this method have been cor- 

 rected in many of the more progressive creameries by tasting the 

 cream with a wooden stick, glass rod or spoon, placed in hot 

 water between dippings. 



A very satisfactory practice of grading cream is the fol- 

 lowing : 



Apparatus needed: 



Two wooden sticks, about the size of an ordinary lead pencil 

 and preferably of maple. 



One tin cup about 8 inches deep with handle. 



One cream stirring rod with perforated disc at lower end. 



One dental spittoon resting on a pipe standard about 3 feet 

 high and with a pipe base sufficiently large to prevent tipping 

 over. This spittoon should be attached to the water line by means 

 of small rubber tubing about 15 feet long. 



Operating the Grading Test: 



Stir the cream in the can vigorously with the cream stir- 

 rer, take its odor by bending over the freshly stirred cream. 



