CHAPTER IX 



BabcocK Test 



As previously indicated, this test is to determine 

 the per cent, of fat in milk products. Every man 

 who keeps cows for profit and markets his product 

 on the basis of its butter- fat value should have a 

 Babcock test and know how much each cow is pro- 

 ducing annually. If he is selling cream, he should 

 know what per cent, of fat it contains, and whether 

 the separator has removed all of the fat from the 

 skim milk, and, if churning, how much fat is being 

 lost in the buttermilk. Well-made testers, which 

 do not expose the neck of the bottle, can be bought 

 for a price which makes them a profitable invest- 

 ment if used properly. Since every owner of a 

 Babcock test should have one of the two good books 

 on the subject, but brief mention will be made here. 



The principle. The principle of the Babcock test 

 is that the solids of milk, other than fat, are so 

 broken up by the action of sulphuric acid that the 

 fat is set free and can readily be separated by cen- 

 trifugal force and collected in the neck of a bottle, 

 so graduated as to show by direct reading the per 

 cent, of the milk which is fat. 



The sample. Care should be taken to see that the 

 sample taken for testing represents the entire lot of 

 milk. The milk should be stirred or, better, poured 

 from one vessel to another before taking the sample. 



