1906.] 



Testing of Farmers' Milk. 



607 



the economical management of their dairies and the important 

 and accurate analyses required of public analysts, with the object 

 very often of furnishing evidence on which to base a prosecution 

 under the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. 



In the first case, the tests are made at the request of the farmer 

 and for his private information only. The test applied is that 

 known as the Gerber test, which merely calls for care and a 

 certain amount of skill in working, but does not necessitate any 

 scientific training. To be of value the tests should be taken 

 regularly and continuously, so that each test becomes one of a 

 series which, by indicating the variations in the quality of his 

 milk as regards the content of butter-fat, will enable the farmer 

 to trace the variations to such causes as the influence of weather, 

 the interval between milking, the food supply, housing and 

 treatment of the cows, and to discover under what conditions 

 the best supply of milk is obtained, which cows are the most 

 profitable, and, generally speaking, how his business may be 

 conducted to the best advantage. 



For this purpose it is not necessary that the tests should be of 

 the nature of an exact analysis, and, so long as the result is 

 sufficient to enable the farmer to determine his position as above 

 indicated, nothing more is required. 



On the other hand, analyses conducted by public analysts at 

 the request of local authorities must necessarily be carried out 

 in the most scientific and skilful manner, in order to ascertain 

 with the utmost degree of exactness the character of the material 

 analysed, and where so much depends upon the result of the 

 analysis it would not be possible to adopt a rapid mechanical 

 method such as the Gerber test. 



With the view of securing uniformity in dealing with samples, 

 the Board have prepared two forms of report for the use of 

 farmers when sending samples to the various institutions— one 

 for use when a sample of a single milking of a single cow is sent, 

 and one for use when a sample of the mixed milk of a herdis sent. 

 These forms are to be filled up with the necessary particulars 

 as to the cow or cows from which the sample was taken and 

 forwarded to the institute with the sample. The form will be 

 returned to the sender with a report as to the percentage of fat 

 contained in the sample as ascertained by the Gerber test. 



