1907.] Number of Milk Tests made in 1906. 



i79 



generally adopted, and will take the place of the occasional and 

 sporadic sampling which has been a feature of many districts. 

 A number of reports refer, in fact to the growing tendency 

 among farmers to send in samples at periodic intervals, and 

 state that the facilities afforded are much appreciated. 



One analyst observes that the samples are generally sent in 

 by large, well-to-do farmers, but otherwise there is not much 

 to show how far the scheme has been taken advantage of by 

 small cowkeepers. 



In a number of cases the tests have shown the sample, whether 

 taken from the milk of a single cow or from the mixed milk of a 

 herd, to be below the 3 per cent, limit or deficient in respect of 

 the solids not fat, provided by the Sale of Milk Regulations. 

 In these cases the information afforded by the analysis should 

 be of great value to the cowkeeper. 



In the case of the milk from one cow which falls substantially 

 below the 3 per cent, limit, the first step should be to ascertain 

 whether this sample can be regarded as typical. For this pur- 

 pose several samples of her morning and evening milk should 

 be taken at intervals and submitted for analysis. If the cow 

 is well fed and in good health, and the results are unsatisfactory, 

 it is desirable that she should be removed from the herd and 

 her place taken by a cow yielding milk with a higher per- 

 centage of fat. 



In the case of mixed milk of a herd falling below the prescribed 

 limits, the question of the hours of milking should be considered 

 and a serious effort must be made to milk at hours which will 

 allow a nearly equal interval between each milking. If this is 

 done the mixed milk is very unlikely to fall below the 3 per 

 cent, limit. If, however, a change in this respect is difficult, 

 an attempt must be made to improve the herd by eliminating 

 poor cows and introducing either better animals of the same 

 breed or else Jerseys or Guernseys which can be relied upon to 

 give a high proportion of butter-fat. 



Generally speaking, if the animals are sufficiently fed, no 

 alteration in the food is likely to have any permanent effect. 

 It should be recollected that cows have a tendency to give the 

 lowest proportion of butter- fat in the third month after calving. 



Advice on any of these points can be obtained from the insti- 

 tutions making the tests. 



M 2 



