The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1912-03-08

AuCoc SdIldLIOuS III the rlc0n0SS OF
the milk alone are sufficient to cause
variations in the test of cream that
will attract attention. The per cent
OF fat in milk in general is highest
in autumn and early winter, and
lowest in the spring and early sum-
mer. AS result of this, the cream
test is generally highest during the
fall and winter and drops to the
lowest point in the spring and early
summer. This il change that is
almost certain to be experienced by
all cream sellers. If the milk of a
herd of cows whose average test is
4 per cent is separated 80 that the
cream tests 40 per cent. and the
milk suddenly drops to 3.5 per cent
of fat, as will often occur, the cream
will then test only IS per cent. The
amount of fat lost in the skim milk
is not effected to any appreciable
extent by the richness of the milk
separated.
One of the most common causes
of variation in the test of cream
from the farm separator is varia-
ton in the amount of water or skim
milk used for flushing out the cream
at the end of the run. 1t is appar-
ent, that especially where a small
quantity of cream is separated, a
marked difference in the richness
OF the cream may be made by a
change in the amount of water or
skim milk added. It is an easy
matter to vary a pint or more in the
water or skim milk used and this
alone may easily change the per
cent of fat in the cream 2 to 5 per
cent.
The per cent of fat in the cream
may be readily changed, as is well
known, by adjusting the ere m
screw. The cream screw, however,
is not changed very frequently and
it is not the common cause of the
variations in the test which constant
ly occur and which cause SO much
friction between the buyer and sell
Ter of cream.
While the farmer selling cream
must expect to experience reason
able variations in the per cent of
fat in the cream sold, he is also en-
titled to have his cream tested &C
curately and carefully by a man who
thoroughly understands how it
should be done and who has the
proper appliances at hand. The
cream buyer to comply with the
laws of the State must weigh out
the sample taken for testing. Any
farmer selling cream is justified in
demanding that this be done and to
object to selling cream on tests made
by measuring out samples with a
pipette. There is no reason why
the farmer should not satisfy him.
self regarding his test. It is an
easy matter for any farmer to test
cream approximately correct, while
it would not be easy for him to make
a test sufficiently accurate to serve
as basis for buying or selling with
out purchasing a small scale which
might be greater expense than he
would care to bear. The farmer,
by use of an ordinary Babcock test
ing machine and by measuring the
sample of cream into the test bot
tie with the same pipette as is used
for measuring milk can make test
of his cream that will serve to sat-
isfy him regarding the accuracy of
the test he is receiving from the
cream buyer.
It seems reasonable to expect that
the richness of milk could be in
f1uenced by the character of the feed
given the animal. However, it has
been thoroughly proved that for all
practical purposes it is impossible:
The richness of a cows milk de-
ponds upon inheritance and can nc
more be changed permanently by
the feed than can the color of hel
hair. If the milk cannot b
changed in richness by the feed it
ia clearly imnOssible for cream TO he