New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 
375 
The total amount of fat in the butter, as shown by these figures^ 
justifies the award of the prize. It is evident, however, from the 
variable amount of water in the butters, that had the yield been more 
nearly equal, this would not have been the case. Obviously the only 
true basis for a test of this kind is the amount of fat which the 
butter contains, and I trust that the time is not distant when no butter 
test will be accepted unless accompanied by an analysis of the butter 
made. I would go still further, and analyze the milk given, as this, in. 
connection with the analysis of the butter produced, would be the 
best guarantee against fraud, and would render unnecessary the locks 
and seals with which such tests are at present encumbered. With the 
adoption of this plan each person can manage his milk as he chooses, 
knowing that any addition of fat to the milk or cream would be sure 
of detection. It would also prevent the suspicions which are often 
expressed, and I believe too often justly, that notable records are 
obtained by weighing undue quantities of water and curd as butter. 
Besides the individual butter from the cows entered for the sweep- 
stake prize, fourteen samples of the exhibition butters, including 
several of the prize packages, were obtained for analysis. These 
samples, coming from all parts of the country, should fairly represent 
the composition of prime American butter. The analyses are 
presented below: 
NUMBER. 
Water, 
Fat, 
Ash (salt), 
Curd by dir., 
per cent. 
per cent. 
per cent. 
per cent. 
1 
9.32 
87.32 
2.34 
1.02 
2 
11.91 
85.03 
2.17 
.89 
3 
11.57 
86.98 
.96 
.49 
4 
11.81 
86.30 
1.16 
.63 
5 
9.76 
86.99 
2.31 
.94 
6 
11.00 
84.39 
4.23 
.38 
7 
10.50 
86.87 
2.29 
.34 
8. 
9.90 
87.79 
1.74 
.57 
9 
11.80 
85.32 
2.42 
.46 
10 
10.31 
87.03 
2.24 
.42 
11 
9.26 
87.57 
2.21 
.96 
12 
10.69 
87.87 
1.06 
.38 
13, 
10.47 
87.55 
1.46 
.52 
14 
13.16 
83.19 
3.29 
.36 
Average 
10.82 
86.44 
2.13 
.60 
Highest 
13.16 
87.87 
4.23 
1.02 
Lowest 
9.26 
83.19 
.96 
.34 
In addition to the ordinary analyses of these butters, which are 
given above, the filtered fat from each of them has been subjected to 
several of the tests that have been proposed by chemists for the 
detection of adulterations. These tests are especially interesting, as 
