“ Chemical Test ” for Butter Production. 
845 
The process of chemical analysis employed by me for the estima- 
tion of the butter-fat was in most cases the areometric method of 
Soxhlet, supplemented and checked, when necessary, by direct ex- 
traction of the butter-fat from the solid residue, employing the 
ordinary Soxhlet process of extraction by ether, or that of the 
Adams’ coil. The results of my analyses were, I should say, handed 
by me to the Steward of Dairying quite independently, and without 
previous knowledge of the results yielded by the churn test. 
The table on p. 846 gives, firstly , the respective yields of milk ; 
secondly , the percentages of total solids and fat contained on each 
occasion of milking ; thirdly, the weight of butter- fat as calculated 
from the chemical analysis and from the weight of milk obtained 
at each milking ; fourthly, the weight of butter actually obtained 
by the test of the churn ; and fifthly, the respective awards 
according to the two methods of testing. 
Division A. — From the table it will be seen that the three 
prizes would have been awarded in precisely the same way by the 
chemical test as by the churn test. 
The only change throughout would have been in the relative 
positions of cows Nos. 1191 and 1192. As to this I would observe 
that, seeing the much larger quantity of milk which No. 1192 
gave on the second day, and the fact that it was quite as rich in 
quality as that of No. 1191, I consider there are strong grounds 
for supporting my result in this instance in preference to that 
obtained by the churn test. 
The relative positions of the cows in this division were : — 
By the Churn Test . . .Ij2|3|4|5|6 
By the Chemical Test . . ,1\ 2 \ 3\ 5\ 4\ 6 
Division B. — In this section, had the awards been given by the 
chemical test the three prizes and also the reserve number would 
have been divided amongst the same four animals which gained 
them in the actual contest decided by the churn test. 
There would have been, however, a variation in the position of 
the leading prize-winners, inasmuch as the first prize would have 
gone to cow No. 1211 instead of to No. 1205, while Nos. 1205 
and 1184 would have been bracketed equal. The reserve number 
would have gone in each case to the same animal, No. 1182. 
Also the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth places would have been 
the same according to either test. 
There was, altogether, a great similarity in the placing of the 
whole of the competing cows ; this is shown by the following com- 
parative table : — 
Position according 
to Churn Test 
1 
2 
3 
4 
j 
5 6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
Position according 
to Chemical Test 
2 
■1 
3 
4 
5 6 
7 
8 
10 
9 
11 
12 
15 
17 
14 
13 
16 
In considering these results, it will be noticed that in the actual 
competition the first prize went to cow No. 1205, whose milk yielded 
