268 SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF CHEESE-MAKING 



the two patrons, because each furnishes milk con- 

 taining 3 per cent of fat. Each, therefore, receives 

 86 cents. If the patron who produces milk with 4 

 per cent of fat takes the normal milk to the factory, 

 he receives on the "fat-plus-two" basis 103 cents, as 

 we have already seen. If he skims his milk as de- 

 scribed above, he receives 86 cents, or 17 cents less; 

 but he has, as an offset to this, one pound of milk-fat 

 which he can sell for 25 cents to 30 cents. There- 

 fore, he is the gainer by all that he can get for his 

 pound of milk-fat over 17 cents. 



(5) This method, in opposition to the teachings of 

 Robertson, Babcock and many others, wholly ignores 

 the fact that composition and quality vary with fat 

 in milk and that cheese made from richer milk is of 

 higher value. 



While these objections hold good, still the "fat- 

 plus-two" method is unquestionably a great ad- 

 vance over the old weight-of-milk method. The 

 most unfortunate feature about this method is the 

 confusion which its introduction has caused among 

 dairymen. Instead of regarding it as a modifica- 

 tion of the fat basis, dairymen have, in many cases, 

 thought that the whole principle of paying for milk 

 by any other method than the weight-of-milk 

 system was under suspicion. Dairymen do not 

 yet understand the details of different methods 

 clearly enough to discriminate, and, when they 

 are told that the fat basis is unreliable and in- 

 accurate, they most naturally lose confidence in 

 all methods based on the fat-test and go back to 

 the weight-of-milk system. Those who produce 

 poor milk take advantage of such an opportunity 



