392 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



centage of butter-fat. The essential fact to keep in mind is 

 the total production of each cow. Whether he should keep cows 

 which will give a moderate amount of milk rich in butter-fat or 

 those which will give a larger amount with a lower fat test, is a 

 matter of personal choice, provided the total yield of butter-fat 

 is the same. 



Whatever disposition is made of his product, the dairyman 

 should be in a position to test his milk and cream for its per- 

 centage of butter-fat (see Plate XVI). This is necessary for 

 determining the profitableness of each cow and for the selec- 

 tion of his breeding stock. It is also desirable for the 

 purpose of checking the amount of fat sold. The method 

 of sampling and testing on the farm is given as follows by 

 Hunziker : 



TESTING MILK ON THE FARM (Hunziker) 



Sampling the milk. 



For all practical purposes, excepting official testing and ex- 

 perimental work, it is unnecessary to test milk samples daily. 

 Composite samples may be taken daily and tested weekly and 

 the pounds of butter-fat determined by multiplying the weekly 

 composite test with the pounds of milk produced a week. 

 These samples are best taken with a milk thief, such as the Scovel 

 milk thief, which may be conveniently suspended on the wall of 

 the milk room close to the milk scales. Each sample is taken 

 immediately after weighing the milk. A metal cap or glass 

 stoppered bottle is provided for each cow and bears the num- 

 ber of the respective animal. These bottles are best placed in 

 numerical order on a rack in close proximity to the scales. 

 Each bottle should contain one preservative tablet. 



Instead of taking composite samples daily, samples of two 

 milkings a month may be taken and tested. In this case the 

 monthly test is multiplied by the pounds of milk produced a 



