CHAPTER II 



MILK TESTING 



13. Importance of Milk Testing. A knowledge 

 of the fat content of milk is essential in order to 

 determine (1) any unnecessary waste in the manu- 

 facture of butter and cheese, (2) the value of indi- 

 vidual cows, (3) the cost of producing milk, (4) the 

 value of different fodders and grains for milk-pro- 

 ducing purposes, and (5) the commercial value of 

 milk. 



A number of simple methods have been proposed 

 for testing milk ; some of them require a more 

 extended knowledge of chemical operations than 

 others. The method which is in most general use 

 on account of its accuracy, simplicity, and cheapness 

 is the Babcock centrifugal method. 



14. Reliability of the Babcock Test. This method 

 has been tested by many chemists, and in all cases 

 it has been found to give reliable results. There is 

 a tendency, however, to read the fat percentages too 

 low. This will be considered more in detail in dis- 

 cussing that part of the operation. In the case of 

 skim milk and buttermilk, when the fat is present 

 to the extent of only two tenths of a per cent or less, 

 the method may not give absolute results. This 



13 



