Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-01-22
ABOUT TESTING MILK.
TEST MILK BEFORE SELLING 1T TO
THE CREAMERY.

A Cow Must Give barge Amount Of
Butter Fat in Year AZ She Is to Re-
turn Any Profits for Food AMI Keep.
Milk Analysis.
The value of a COW for dairy purposes
depends upon several factors, the two
most important of which are the guam
tity and the quality Of the milk. We
have some cows at this station that give
milk which contains about 3 per cent
fat. Such cows must give about thirty
three pounds of milk to make pound
of butter We have others that run 5
per cent. fat, in which case twenty
pounds will make a pound of butter.
After giving milk several months these
rich cows sometimes run up to 7 per
cent. fat, in which case about fourteen
pounds of milk viii make one of butter.
With this knowledge of the amount Of
fat in milk we have only to go to the
records of milking to learn the standing
of each COW.
| can assure the reader that the per
cent. cows would have gone long ago
had we not wished to keep them for the
purpose of studying some features Of
their milk that the milk from the other
cows did not possess.
| do not wish to be understood as in
sisting that the richest milk is always
the cheapest. Some cows will give very
rich milk, but in such small quantity
that they are not profitable, while COW
giving per cent milk may be one Of
the most profitable on the farm. 1t does
not matter whether the milk is of rich
or medium quality SO long as the total
amount of fat produced is entirely salts
factory. A COW must give large
amount Of butter fat for the year if she
is to return any profits for feed and
keep.
With the methods for testing milk
now before the public there is no reason
why the dairyman should not know the
relative value of all the cows in his
herd 1t does not seem to me necessary
that each man should own testing APP
paratus; he can take a sample of milk
and have the factory make test for a
small fee. A factory using the Babcock
test could well afford to make the fat
determinations for its patrons for five
cents each.
But unless we remember that the fat
test is only one of two figures which
must be multiplied together to get the
true result. we may do the COW rank in
justic. To get the other figure the dali
ryman must weigh the milk from his
cows. To do this a spring balance can
be purchased for dollar or two and
hung up in the dairy barn, and the milk
can be weighed thereon daily, or if this
seems too much labor let the milk be
weighed once week, and on the same
day always, and careful record made.
A sheet of brown MANILA paper can
be ruled with a lead pencil in a few min
utes and tackled upon board with a
hole at the top, which can be hung upon
a nail close by the scales. The cows can
be named or numbered, and the amount
of milk set in the appropriate place with
very little trouble. know that many
will say that this is too much trouble,
but nothing is too much trouble which
helps a man about his business.
Nothing will open the dairyman's eyes
more than weighing the milk and hav
ing these analyses made. Nine times
out of ten, after such an examination.
there will be some cows for sale at any
price to the local stock buyer. Expert
ment Station Bulletin.