154 



THE BABCOCK TEST 



enough (125 to 140 degrees) to keep the fat in a clear liquid 

 state in which condition the reading or measurement of the fat 

 •column should be made. If a steam power machine is used it 

 Avill not be necessary to remove the bottles to the hot water. 



READING RESULTS 



The reading of the per cent, of fat is made direct from the 

 graduated scale on the test tube. Bottles for whole milk are 

 usually graduated to allow readings as high as eight or ten per 

 ■cent. A pair of dividers, or small compasses (Fig. 13) can 



Fig. 13. 



Fig. 14. 



be used to good advantage in reading the results. The two 

 points are carefull}^ adjusted so that they exactly enclose the 

 fatty column. (Fig. 14.) The lower point is then placed at 

 the zero mark, leaving the other point on what will be the 



•exact reading. 



CREAM TESTING 



In cream testing similar methods are emplo3'ed except that 

 special cream bottles (Fig. 15) graduated to measure from 

 twenty-five to fifty per cent, of fat are used, and the cream 

 samples must be taken by weight instead of by measure. Fig. 

 16 shows a desirable cream scale used for this purpose. The 

 reason for weighing is found in the fact that a given volume 



