152 PROFITABLE DAIRYING 



his chances rather than take the trouble to make 

 this test. It was formerly supposed that a cow's 

 value was measured by the amount of cream she 

 produced. The Babcock test reveals the fact that 

 cream from different cows differs as widely in 

 the amount of butter fat that it contains as does 

 the milk. After the advent of the Babcock test 

 it was not uncommon to find that what had been 

 supposed to be the best butter producer in the herd 

 was in reality an unprofitable cow, and the little 

 cow, supposed to be of little value, was producing 

 more butter fat than the others. 



There is really no other safe guide in learning the 

 value of a dairy cow than the Babcock test. The 

 matter of breeding merely increases the chances of 

 getting a profitable cow. Poor animals will be found 

 in the best herds. They may be rare, but the 

 owner nevertheless needs a ready means of ascertain- 

 ing their value. It is equally important that the dairy- 

 man should have a means of testing the results of 

 his own efforts. He needs must know whether 

 the butter fat delivered by the cow into the milk 

 pail is conserved by him or lost in the process of 

 butter manufacture. He must be able to trace the 

 waste if he finds it. The Babcock test is the un- 

 failing solver of all these questions. The original 

 Babcock milk tester is seen in Fig. 30. 



The Babcock test showed the author that his old- 

 fashioned dash churn was wasting one pound of 

 butter in ten. With it, his father and grandfather, 

 without suspecting the fact, lost enough butter to 

 pay for their farm. The appliances used in the 

 Babcock test are now so cheap that every farmer 



