Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-08-15
Points on Testing Milk.

have spent few months at regular
Advanced Registry testing and part Of
several years making two-day tests. Dur
ing that time have found some things
that are apt to be neglected In making q
milk test for butterfat. These are the
things that mean good deal to the COW
owner who does this work for himself or
who has someone else to handle 1t for
him.
Taking II for granted that the reader
knows what the Babcock test Ia and
what it is for, am going to mention
few of them. The mixing OF the milk is
one chance for mistakes and errors.
Milk taken straight from the COW will be
pretty apt to be we'll mixed. But II 1t
sets awhile it will settle, II I may use
that word. The best way that I know
is to pour from one pail to another two
or three times. This thoroughly mixes
the milk. Then after the sample of per-
haps one-third OF pint is taken 1t must
be mixed again before the sample Ia taken
with the pipette. Pouring from one
bottle to another is good for this but care
must be used to not overmix. Too much
mixing will incorporate air with the
sample and so the test will not show as
much fat as it should because some OF
the 17.6 c. Q. of milk was air. You can
see these bubbles in the milk II you look
carefully, aud lack of care in observing
this will sometimes mean lower test
than the COW is entitled to.
In measuring the sample in the .pipette
there is q chance to lose a few drops OF
milk from the pipette while measuring.
The finger may unconsciously be drawn
away from the top of the pipetts and
several drops be lost before the milk is
placed In the test bottle. This may seem
like a very little bit, but when you re-.
member that few tenths Of per cent
each month on years test are added
up, or rather taken away, 1t would be
easily possible for this small amount to
make or break q cows yearly record.
And that means q good deal to an own
er.
In testing a number of samples there
is apt to be more or less hurrying. By
using two pipettes and letting one of
them drain pretty thoroughly while the
other ia being measured, the last few
drops of the sample that wouldn't other
wise get In the test bottle are tested.
This can not amount to much but in the
year it might mean what I mentioned
above.
1t pays to experiment bit with the
sulphuric acid. Sometimes 1t is too
weak or too strong to make correct
test. It may make the test but fail to
give clear fat column 40 that il can read
accurately. Try the acid by using three
or four samples with from Is to Is c. @.
each. This will tell you which will do
the best for the work at hand. Tenn
perature of the milk and of the acid
makes some difference too. The coudi-
ton of the various samples will show
what amount to use to correct this.
Many times the water used to fill the
test bottles contains minerals-usually
lime. A few drops of sulphuric acid in
the water will correct this trouble and
make the fat columns clear instead Of
cloudy or uneven at the end, as there
may be a small chunk at the end of the
fat column il hard water ia used.
Most stations or dairy departments are
particular about the temperature OF the
water used for setting the bottles in.
The usual one ia l4O degrees. The fat
samples when ready to read are set in
water of this temperature for about FIVE
minutes. Unless care is used this water
will not be at this heat when the five
minutes are up. So 1t pays to have the
water few degrees hotter. Then by
the time the time is mp, the water is
pretty apt to be about right.-B. E. Rog-
ers in Hoard's Dairyman.