300 BOARD OF AGRICULTUEE. [Pub. Doc. 



lu all prosecutions under this chapter, if the milk is shown upon 

 analysis to contain less than thirteen per cent, of milk solids, or to 

 contain less than nine and three tenths per cent, of milk solids ex- 

 clusive of fat, or to contain less than three and seven tenths per 

 cent, of fat, it shall be deemed for the purposes of this act to be 

 not of good standard quality, except during the mouths of April, 

 May, June, July and August, when milk containing less than 

 twelve per cent, of milk solids, or less than nine per cent, of 

 milk solids exclusive of fat, or less than three per cent, of fat, 

 shall be deemed to be not of good standard quality. 



The Babcock tester tells only the amount of fat in milk, 

 but from the above it will be seen that the fat is the element 

 which varies the most, and that the amount of fat is practi- 

 cally the key to the situation. Milk having 3.70 per cent of 

 fat will be up to the statute standard of 13 per cent of total 

 solids. Milk that tests o.oO per cent of fat is on the danger 

 line, but so near all right that under ordinary circumstances 

 it would probably pass muster and would not get the seller 

 into trouble, as a certain amount of leniency is necessarily 

 allowed in all statutes of this kind. If a milk has 3 per 

 cent of fat it will be satisfactory during the five months of 

 the year in which the standard is 12 per cent of total solids. 

 A man with a herd of Jerseys or Guernseys whose milk 

 tests from 4.50 to 5 per cent of fat would be safe in guaran- 

 teeing milk of 14 per cent of total solids. If he lives where 

 there are people who are willing to pay an extra price for 

 an article of extra quality, he will run no risk in guarantee- 

 ing his milk to have 13, 14 or 15 per cent of total solids, 

 as the case may be, and he can be assured that ho is keeping 

 up to the required qualit}^ by using his tester. 



In the actual use of the Babcock tester it will not be 

 necessary to go to the trouble and labor of testing milk every 

 day. Where the herd remains unchanged and without any 

 variation in conditions, and the milk of the difterent animals 

 is thoroughly mixed, a test every three or four weeks will 

 usually be sufficient to keep an accurate knowledge of the 

 situation. On purchasing a new cow or on having any 

 considerable numl^er calve near the same time, more fre- 

 quent tests for a short time wouhl l»e desirable. In case of 

 trouble a daily test of each animat might be necessary for a 



