Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1889-06-25
A VALUABLE DISCOVERY.
A Chesp Mettcd OF raining the
Quantity Of Fat Ia Milk.

Virginia tNev.I Enterprise.i
Discoveries that enable farmers to
select with certainty in improving
their breeds Of stock are of more ion.
portance to the material welfare of
the country than is realized by other
than those who watch the growth Of
the nation by the building up Of all
interests in common. Heretofore it
has been hard to determine the rel
alive butter-yieIding qualities of dif-
ferent milks except by tedious pro-
cess, and dairy men, while able to
choose cows with reference to guam
tity, had no simple method by which
they could make selections for
quality.
On the 10th Prof. G. S. Patrick OF
the Iowa Experiment Station pub
lished to the world, in the Chicago
Inter-O Ocean, the result Of protractcd
series OF experiments. His discovery
is most important to farmers, dairy
men and stock ra,sers generally, but
it is particularly SO to Nevada, which
is rapidly gaining recognition as the
most favorable region for breeding
choice animals. Prof. Patrick was
working for tho public, and immedi-
ately gave the public the benefit of
his discovery. The following extract
from the Inter Ocean will enable our
breeders to take early advantage OF
the new method of determining the
quantity OF fatty matter IN milk:
Professor G. 5. Patrick, of the
Iowa Experiment Station, has been
for some time past engaged in test
ing the cows on the college farm.
lie found an astonishing variation in
the amount Of fat in the milk of dit.
ferent COWS, varying from two to
eight per cent. This led him to
series of experiments for the purpose
Of discovering a more practical meth
cd of determining the amount of fa,
than as yet devised. During re-
cent visit to the station, and after
witnessing the process and compai.
ing the results of long series of ex-
periments with the results obtained
by the tedious but absolutely accurate
'gravimetric" method, it became con.
vinclng that Professor Patrick had
furnished the farmer aud dairyman
With test that was at once inexpen.
sive, practicable and accurate, and
one that could be used OH any farm
aud by any farmer that could take
care Of cows, meeting the require.
ments of efficiency, cheapness, rapid.
ity and ease Of execution more fully
than any yet proposed. The princi-
PIE, or plan upon which it works, is
entirely new, and yet very simple.
1t is to dissolve the casein or albumen
OF milk by means Of chemicals and
heat, and to allow the melted fat TO
arise and collect in a narrow tube,
where its volume can DO read with
accuracy. The chemicals employed
must, of course, be such as will not
destroy or decompose any Of the fat
and still make a perfect solution of
the other ingredients of the milk. !
Such solution Professor Patrick has
found in a mixture of strong acetio
acid go per cent. will answer), oil OF
vitriol and chlohydric acid (concen.
.ra.ed) in about the proportions of 9,
s and 2, by volume. Exac.ness in
the proportions is not necessary, as
mixtures in the proportions of 9, 4, 4
and 9, 3, 8 work nearly as we'll as the
one frst named"
Al idea of the actual importance
Of this discovery may be gained from
estimating the increase in the worlds
food supply that will result from in.
telligent selection, and the enormous
increase in value represented by the
live stock Of the agricultural sections.