Bulletin 126 April, 1905 



NEW HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 



THE CARE OF COMPOSITE MILK SAMPLES 



BY IVAN COMINGS WELD 



A composite sample of milk is a sample made up of two 

 or more smaller samples of milk taken from the same 

 source of supply, but taken at different times and from 

 milk produced at different periods. On the farm these 

 small samples represent different milkings from the same 

 cow and the samples in this mixed condition are to represent 

 the milk of that cow for a given period. In the creamery 

 the small samples are to represent the daily delivery of a 

 patron and the combined or composite sample is to repre- 

 sent the daily deliveries of that patron for a given time. 

 This period of time usually extends from seven to fourteen 

 days and the pint or so of milk collected in small amounts 

 during this time forms the composite sample. 



This method of collecting samples of 

 milk to be tested is to be recommended, be- 

 cause it has been shown that bv its use 

 accurate determination of the fatty con- 

 tents of milk or cream can be made with a 

 smaller expenditure of time and money. 



The per cent, of fat in the milk produced 

 by individual cows varies greatly. The 

 mixed milk of individual cows, or the milk 

 of a herd does not vary so greatly in its 

 Fig. 1. composition because the higher per cent, of 



fat in the milk of one cow may for a day 

 offset the lower per cent, of fat in the milk of some other 

 member of the herd, and vice versa, but even under these 

 conditions the variation in the per cent, of fat in the milk 

 of a herd may be considerable from day to day. 



