Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1916-05-26
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VARIATIONS IN CREAM TEST
common Cause Of Dissatisfaction on
Part of SelIer-Use of Tester Is
Urged by Expert.

(By c. II. ECKLES, Missouri College of
Agriculture)
One of the most common causes of
dissatisfaction on the part of the man
who sells cream on the butterfat basis.
rises from variations in the test. This
is especially true if each can is tested
separately and the best way for the
seller to convince himself that the
tester is neither careless nor dishon-
est is to secure a little outfit for him
self. A well-made, accurate and salts
factory tester can now be bought for
five dollars and its use will not only
satisfy the seller that he is getting
honest treatment but will enable him
to detect the boarders in his herd.
The general interest in this subject is
compelling the Missouri agricultural
experiment station to reprint a cir
cular for general distribution, but a
little discussion of the principal causes
OF variation in this briefer form may
avoid the necessity for so wide a dis
tribution of that circular.
Speed of Separator.-A change in
the speed of the separator immediate
ly causes change in the tests of the
cream, the higher the speed the great
er the amount of skim milk thrown
out and so the higher the test of the
cream secured. Putting it in another
way, a low speed results in a larger
quantity of thinner cream.
Rate of Infiow-The use of the float
does not always insure uniform flow
of milk into the separator, because
the faucet may not always be opened
equally wide and the flow will be more
rapid when the tank is full than when
1t is nearly empty. Anything which
makes the inflow more rapid will in
crease the proportion of skim milk
which goes through. and lower the
test of the cream secured.
Flushing the Bowl.-The amount Of
water used in flushing may easily be
varied pint or more and this with
out any other cause or variation may
change the test by two, three, or even
-four or five per cent.
Variations in the Milk Itself.-The
milk of an entire herd may rise or fall
in its test from day to day because of
excitement or change in the weather.
If the milk of herd, whose average
test is four per cent, is ordinarily so
separated That the cream tests 40
per cent fat, the test will suddenly
rise to 42.5 per cent if the milk of the
herd is suddenly raised to AIS per
cent without any change in method Of
separating.
Cream Screw.-The test is, of
course, readily controlled by means of
the cream screw, but as it is seldom
changed in this way, on the average
farm, there should be no trouble be-
cause of variation from this source.
Feed of the CONCENTRATIONS in
cream tests are practically never
caused by changes in the feed OF the
COW as every well-informed cream
seller is now aware.
Mistakes and Mistakes
are most likely to result from care
lessness in taking samples, as they
must be very carefully and skillfully
taken If they are to tell the truth and
result in fair payment, but actual
dishonesty is probably much rarer
than many sellers believe. A clever
thief would manipulate the reported
test in such way as not to arouse
The suspicion that an honest report
sometimes brings up in the mind of
the man who does not consider all the
possible hidden causes of variation.