Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-05-23
THE BAbC0Ck TEST
That Old, Yet Ever New Cues
ton of Interest to All Farm
ers and Dairymen.
(By H. II. Tucker, Assistant, Bureau Of
Animal Industry

No one process in the evolution OF the
dairy business has done SO much to
standardize that business as the Babcock
test. The writer well remembers when
creameries bought cream by the inch, Or
space, because there was no means of
determining the butter content, except by
churning and weighing the butter: and
this was seldom done. because Of the
bother of keeping the patrons cream
separate. This method put a premium on
dishonesty. and person that was draw
ing the skim-milk from under his cream
twice a day, must have had a pretty stiff
backbone. not to yield to the temptation
of leaving little more skim-milk with
the cream than was absolutely necessary;
and it soon deceloped that the dishonest
farmer was the most prosperous dairy
man. Then the Babcock tester came like
Star in the East and was heraldei
with Joy by every honest milk and cream
producer in the country. And yet. as
have been brought in contact with the
dairy farmers of New England. as an or.
been in close touch with the dairy inter-
ests Of Maine for many years, l am sor-
ry to say that this same Babcock test is
the cause Of more dissatisfaction and ar
gument than any other phase of the bus,-
ness. Just why this is so and what the
best remedy is, is a difficult question to
solve.
think, if every dissatisfied dairyman
would procure a Babcock tester fer him
self, learn to run it (Which is not diff
culD and make systematic study of the
variations in the test of his cows milk,
from day to day and month to month, in
many cases, he would find as great va
Ration as that shown by his creamery
He will find there are many causes for
the variations and doubtless he will find
cases where the test shows up things that
he cannot account for.
Several years ago l had COW on a year
test and that called for the taking Of
sample from four consecutive milkings,
each month. This COW was in the prime
Of life, in good flesh, never was sick
day. never refused anything in the shape
Of food that was placed before her, was
fed a carefully compounded ration of
uniform quantity. was fed and watered
regularly. was not a nervous animal. She
was free mixer and gave a very uni
form quantity of milk, and yet there was
not a month for the whole year when
there was not variation Of at least 25
per cent. in the four samples and, in
some instances. the samples would range
from 35 per cent. to slightly over per
cent. This was Of course, an extreme
case. A cows test may vary from year
to year. because of her physical condition.
II she is fat. and fed so as to retain that
fat to considerable extent during the
year, she will test higher than If she were
thin in flesh. A change of food or en-
vironment may temporarily change the
butterfat Of the milk. ! know a COW that
evidently slipped in her stall and threw
out her stif1e, early in the night she
could not get up and appeared to be In
considerable pain. In the morning, when
the stife had been put in place and she
was on her feet. she gave nearly her
usual quantity of milk; but the sample
of that milk. taken and tested by State
official, showed over II per cent. butter
fat, while her next milking showed over
10 per cent. making over four pounds of
butter fat this COW produced for the day.
Her normal test was practically 5 per
cent.
That there is considerable variation, in
some cases, in the test Of milk and
cream by the creameries and milk con-
tractors of New England, from month to
month, is very evident and 1 am afraid
there is a growing suspicion on the part
Of producers-many going so far as to
declare that no matter what increase In
price Is agreed upon, that, so long as con-
tractors and creameries do their own
sampling and testing, the farmer is pow
erless: that the increase in price is Off
set by decrease in test and. in most
cases. they have Che figures that. to a
casual observer, at least, would bear out
their contentious. If such is the case,
the facts should most certainly be
brought to the attention Of the N. E. NJ.
P. A. for investigation, as that associa-
ton was organized solely to look after
the interests of New England dairymen.
believe. however, that cases Of premedi-
tated dishonesty on the part of the
creameries in Maine are very few. But
IL may be that employees are not always
as careful as they should be in taking
the sample and of taking it every time
lot comes in. With SO much depending
on this little sample, it Is certainly up to
the creamery manager to see that their
men do their work faithfully In this mat
ter and that they also cooperate with
the y. Z. NJ. F. A. to bring about a better
understanding with and greater conf
dence OF the producer. Public opinion
may be right or wrong. but in either case
it must be reckoned with and. IL wrong.
1t should be set right. The interests OF
the dairy business can best be served by
having the confidence Of those engaged in
It.
Maine Department Of Agriculture.
JOHN A. ROBERTS, Commissioner