BABCOCK MILKTESTER

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1931, Page 5

BABCOCK MILKTESTER

DEATH OF AGED INVENTOR. GIFT TO DAIRY INDUSTRY. Dr. Stephen Moulton Babcock, the inventor of the Babcock Milk Tester which revolutionised the dairy industry, and is used extensively in New Zealand, died reecntly in Madison, Wissonsin, U.S.A., aegd 87. Dr. Babcock was emiritus pro.essor of agriculture and chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, U.S.A. His great discovery, the test which is the standard means of determining the butterfat content of milk, was made in 1890. He had always refused to patent or exploit his discovery, replying to such suggestions: “No one man is large enough to own a key to dairy prosperity.” Mast year he received the Capper Award, £IOOO, and a gold medal, irom the American Country Life Association. At the time lie made his discovery, Dr. Babcock was Professor of Chemistry at the Wisconsin College of Agriculture. Before he announced his discovery in a pamphlet, there had been no method of ascertaining the amount of butterfat in milk known. By preventing the loss of butterfat in the separation of cream, Dr. Babcock put millions of pounds into tile pockets of dairy farmers. The principle of the machine is the rapid revolution of a small bottle of milk, thereby separating that fat from tile other constituents. His test also furnishes data for improving the stock by indicating which animals should be weeded out, and which should be used for breeding. Dr. Babcock was born at Bridgewater, New York, in October, 1843. Alter he had graduated from Tufts College in 1856, lie studied at Cornell University, and, going to Germany, ae the University of Gottenburg. Later be became instructor in chemistry at Cornell, and altenvards professor, before becoming the chemist at the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station. his last post be ore he went to "Wisconsin. The cause of death was heart disease.