IS IT A MISTAKE? 71 



cubic foot of milk — that is, the average pure milk of our 

 native herds — under the same circumstances, at the same 

 temperature, will weigh about ten hundred and thirty-one 

 ounces. A cubic foot of cream — and this I hardly know how 

 to venture upon, for Prof. Voelcker says it is heavier than 

 water, but I have found by various instruments (I could not 

 measure its specific gravity with the common lactometer, 

 because it clinks down to the bottom, — pure cream will not 

 float it at all), that cream varies just in proportion to the 

 amount of skim milk you get w4th it, and some other matter, 

 and that you have to raise it to quite a high temperature in 

 order to get it thin enough to test its specific gravity ; but I 

 will venture the opinion that pure cream is nearly as much 

 lighter than water as milk is heavier than water. I know I 

 have Prof. Voelcker against me, but I know this much, that 

 some big men have made some big mistakes. I know that a 

 small man is capable of making a small mistake, and I would 

 refer to President Clark's discoveries, that he brought out so 

 beautifully the other day, to illustrate the fact that some big 

 men have made greater ones. Prof. Voelcker's assertion 

 has cost me more than a week's labor, tat I have settled down 

 to this opinion, that cream is almost as much lighter than 

 water as water is lighter than milk. The specific gravity of 

 ibutter is found to be nine hundred and forty -two ounces, if 

 well Avorked ; and with an ounce of salt added to a pound of 

 butter, it is still considerably lighter than water. Any of you 

 can test this by dropping a bit of butter into a tumbler of 

 water. 



So mu^h for specific gravity, and you see from what I have 

 said, that the better the milk the lighter it will be, because 

 the better portion of the whole is the lightest of all. That 

 will be evident to every man. 



Now, to test the question in regard to the specific gravity 

 of water, and water and cream, mix sonle cream in a tumbler 

 of water, (get the purest water you can, dissolve some nice 

 clean ice, that will be as good as any you get unless you get 

 distilled water,) mix them together, and see Avhere you will 

 find your cream and where you will find your water. I have 

 found a variation in the specific gravity of the milk of difier- 

 ent cows in my own herd equal to ten per cent., and that 



