i8 



to favor certain patrons or to make a showing of paying more for 

 butterfat than does a neighboring creamery by reading the test 

 low or giving short weight. In the first case he steals from some 

 patrons in favor of others ; in the second case, he is simply help- 

 ing his employers or his patrons to fool themselves and others. 



In testing it must be remembered that the taking of a 

 correct sample is the most important part of the work and that 

 when milk is left at rest only for a few minutes, the cream will 

 commence to rise and it will make a difference whether the sample 

 is taken from the top, the bottom or the center. 



With small lots, as for instance in sampling single cow's 

 milk, it is easy enough to get a fair sample by pouring the milk 

 from one bucket to another a few times, but this must not be done 

 so violently as to make it foam too much. If close work is de- 

 sired for composite samples (the collecting of two or more 

 samples for testing at once) the "Scovell" tube is safest to use. By 

 this, if the sample is taken from a cylindrical vessel, a propor- 

 tionate amount is secured each time. Thus, if a cow should give 

 30 Ibs. of 3 per cent, milk in one milking, and 15 Ibs. of 5 per cent, 

 milk in the next (to quote an exaggerated example) the result 

 would be exactly correct; whereas if we took equal samples, the 

 result would be too high. 



But the difficulty in getting a good sample is greatly in- 

 creased when we come to large quantities of milk as delivered at 

 the creameries. It is true that, if the milk is delivered every 

 day, and has been stirred while cooling, the pouring into the weigh 

 can and a few vigorous strokes with a long-handled dipper will 

 enable us to get a fair sample. Yet patrons don't seem to realize 

 the advantage of taking good care of the milk and the result is 

 that cream clots will float on top ; in taking the sample, these must 

 be avoided and the farmer gets a lower test. 



The Scovell tube is ^ to I inch in diameter, with three open- 

 ings and has a cap at the bottom. The tube is pushed gently to 

 the bottom of the can and pressed so as to push the cap above the 

 openings securing a column of milk exactly like that in the can. 



For creamery work the objection is that too large a sample is 

 secured and also that in doing the work as must be in a hurry, 

 milk is apt to adhere to the outside and if there is any cream on 



