CHAPTER XXVIII 

 MILK AND CREAM TESTING 



To produce milk or butter fat for market most economically 

 ■and profitably it is nearly, if not quite, as important that the 

 grade of milk be known as it is to know the quantity yielded. 

 Milk testing 7 per cent fat has nearly twice the food value of one 

 testing 3 per cent fat, and likewise requires nearly twice as much 

 feed to produce it (Chapter XXIII). There never was a time 

 when the dairy farmers needed to feed scientifically more than at 

 present, nor a time when this could more easily be done. 



The dairy farmer should own a milk tester and use it, chiefly 

 because of its aid in economical feeding. A second reason why 

 the tester on the farm is needed is that by its means the un- 

 profitable cows may more promptly and accurately be singled out 

 for disposal. The man who sells to the city should be careful 

 never to allow milk to go to market which is below the legal stand- 

 ard in fat. Whether cream is shipped or drawn to local market 

 the thoroughness of skimming done by the separator on the farm 

 should, from time to time, be determined. It is also convenient 

 frequently to use the hand tester to check the accuracy of the 

 cream testing done in the city or in the local creamery. 



Easy to Learn.- — The process of testing milk by the Babcock 

 method is not difiicult to learn, nor to perform. Any bright boy 

 or girl of fifteen can readily learn -to do very satisfactory work, 

 especially if shown once or twice how to do a few of the more 

 particular pieces of work. 



Does Not Take Long.. — The total time required to make a 

 single test of milk need not be more than fifteen minutes ; two 

 samples can be tested nearly as quickly as one ; a dozen samples 

 can be tested in half an hour. Testing milk makes a good " rainy 

 day job " and may be worth more than the work which could be 

 accomplished ordinarily during the same length of time. 



Equipment Needed and Cost. — A testing machine such as 

 shown in figure 109 may be obtained complete with glassware 

 for operation at from five to six dollars, but such machines are 



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