Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-11-14
USE OF THE sABcock TESTER,
The Cars Which Must Be Taken 70
Secure Accurate Results.

The use Of the Babcock test is be.
coming more and more common by
dairy men, who have now got it fully
into their heads that nearly all dairies
have COWS who are eating their heads
off and should be promptly got rid
OF. II in dairy of thirty COWS, there
are ten whose milk does not pay for
their feed, it is evident that the other
twenty must not only support the
dairyman, but pay part OF the cost Of
maintaining the ten delinquents, and,
therefore, the net income of the dairy
would be larger if the ten were off the
place. A very poor COW, of course, is
very easily detected and disposed of,
but there is no way Of discovering
those along the border line of profit
and loss except by weighing the milk
and ascertaining the fat content The
Babcock test will give the fat content
accurately, if the testing is we'll done,
but sometimes it is not we'll done.
and the result is incorrect We have
printed the directions for nanipulat-
ing the tester good many times, but
Mrs. Minna E. Sherman states few
common difficulties so clearly that we
reprint what she says, as follows:
Simple as the Babcock testing ap-
pears, by careless handling the fat
rising in the necks of the test bottles
is clouded or mixed with other matter.
TO test correctly, SO as to have the
fat free from foreign mixtures, is cas-
lily acquired by taking a quart of milk,
shaking it up and filling the test bot
ties, running it through and reading
the per cent Of butter fat. At first, the
readings may vary but practice until
each sample reads alike. When prac-
tce has made perfect it is safe to
infer that the readings from different
samples will be correct.
A few of the common causes of in
correct readings are air bubbles, black
floating particles, ashes and cheesy
matter in the column of butter fat.
The air bubbles in the fat are pricked
by dropping onto the fat three or four
drops of alcohol, using a high proof
spirits from the bottle of grain al
cohol used in the spirit lamp The
alcohol lays on top of the fat and the
division line is distinct at first after
short time there is a slight emulsi-
tying of the fat, so the reading is
made promptly to insure it's correct
ness.
In cloudy tests where the separa-
ton is not distinct between the black
| mass and the fat it can often be
cleared by letting the bottles grow
| cold and then warming them up in
hot water, where the separation will
| be found to be completed.
White ashes appearing among the
fat, or above or below it, indicates too
little Or too weak acid In buying
acid from the supply houses l have
never received a carboy of acid that
| was too weak, though I have had it
become so in the carboy by atmos-
! pheric moisture-a careless butter
maker during a spell of tule fog left
the cork out for a week. | found
that the acid would not cut the casein,
but by adding trifle over measure it
came all right. A little experienA7 will
show the color that the milk should
turn under the acid and it's freedom
from Jumps that the acid is not too
weak. "One thorn of experience is
worth whole wilderness of warming ~
The acid used has specific gravity of
1872 to 1888 at so degrees Fahrenheit.
| r1yhi 11,@
often due to not thoroughly mixing
the milk and acid in the test bottles
when first filled. It is also caused by
having the milk too cold-below 60 de-
! grees-when the acid does not give of
enough heat in the mixing with the
milk to burn out all the casein.
When the fat shows up mass of
black, then the heat has been too
great. This may be caused by care
less pouring of the acid into the cen.
ter of milk in the bottle instead of
sliding it gently down the neck and
along the sides to the bottom. More
care in filling will obviate this. In
| Fresno during the summer time the
milk in the sample bottles has to be
chilled by standing them in cold water
or else the test will be blackened The
milk tests the clearest if it is at a
temperature of 90 to 65 degrees, and
| the acid at the same temperature.
When there is a dirty-colored foam
on the top of the fat in the test bot.
tie, it indicates that the water used
in filling the bottles up to reading is
too hard, and boiled, or, better yet
the distilled water from the engine
must be used to fill up the bottles
The instructions that come with the
Babcock tester direct running the ma
chine two minutes, then filling the
bottles with hot water and running
one minute more. I presume this
time is taken from the time the ma
chine attains full speed. I find it sim
pier to look at the clock as I turn
on the steam, and when the bottles
have twirled ten minutes, turn of
| the steam and mt on the break SlOw