TESTING DAIRY PRODUCTS BY THE BABCOCK TEST. 85 



lot of cream collected in order that the composite sample shall 

 fairly represent the whole. Little dependence can be put on the 

 test of a single lot of cream as representing the percentage of fat 

 contained in the cream furnished for a month or any given time, 

 and patrons have a right to demand that a sample of each lot 

 of cream collected shall be taken and tested by itself or made a 

 part of a composite sample. 



When the test was first introduced, an attempt was made to 

 continue the inch system of measuring the cream, but that in- 

 volved too much work and when the space pail was brought out 

 by an enterprising dealer, it was quite generally adopted. This 

 pail has a. scale so made that the product obtained by multiply- 

 ing the number of spaces of cream by the percentage of fat it 

 contains, gives approximately the number of pounds of butter 

 containing 85 per cent of butter fat. This space pail furnished 

 a method which was a great improvement over the inch system 

 and has served a valuable purpose in the creamery business. 



At one time there, were at least three systems of buying and 

 paying for cream by the test in use in this State and it was not 

 surprising that there was considerable confusion and distrust 

 among farmers. Recognizing the necessity of uniformity in 

 this work, the Station issued a bulletin in 1894 advocating 

 weighing instead of measuring cream. The method of weigh- 

 ing is believed to be simpler, more accurate and just as con- 

 venient as measuring. 



Sampling the Cream. If it were practicable, it would be much 

 better to have each patron's cream brought to the factory by 

 itself; then the one who operates the test could see that a cor- 

 rect sample is taken and the butter maker could inspect its 

 quality for butter making. As most of the creameries at the 

 present time are not able to adopt this plan, a method is here 

 given by which the collector takes the sample. 



The man who does this work should be reliable and thor- 

 oughly instructed in taking the sample before he starts out. 

 Too much care cannot be used in this part of the work. Cor- 

 rect sampling is a matter of dollars and cents to the farmer and 

 success or failure to the creamery, for no enterprise can expect 

 to, succeed for any length of time, unless justice is done to all 

 parties concerned. It is for this reason that the employment 



