CHAPTER XII 



The Babcock Test Applied to Farm Conditions 



The Babcock test finds application on the farm of 

 every dairyman in one or more of the following ways : 



i) In testing the quality of milk in respect to fat 

 produced by individual cows and by the herd. 



(2) In testing cream. 



(3) In testing skim-milk. 



(4) In testing buttermilk. 



(5) In testing milk and cream as a means of self- 

 protection. 



TESTING COWS 



The most effective test of the value of a dairy cow 

 is the production of milk and of milk-fat. Evidence 

 has been carefully collected showing that many cows 

 in this country are kept at an actual loss. The 

 owners of such cows may be conscious of the fact 

 that they are not prospering, but without having any 

 idea of the cause. The amount of fat in milk required 

 for various purposes differs somewhat. For ordi- 

 nary market purposes, where consumers take as a 

 matter of course any kind of milk delivered to them, 

 the most profitable cow is the one producing a large 

 yield of milk, which generally means a low percentage 

 of fat, frequently just enough to keep above the legal 

 standard. The statement applies to milk sold by bulk 



