ANALYSIS OF MILK.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3201, 31 December 1892, Page 6 (Supplement)

ANALYSIS OF MILK.

The difficulty of arriving at some reliable basis from which to work in the analysis of milk is strikingly illustrated by tho following 1 case which was heard at the Westminister Police Court lately. Briefly the facts were as follows :—"A Mr Wriaht was charged with abstraction of cream from milk. The prosecuting analyst swore positively that at least 12 per cent, of cream had been abstracted, the defending analyst stated that the milk might be pure, though poor, and lastly Somerset House analysts said it was only 5 percent. deficient in fat. Bovond these grave disagreements, it further appeared that one analyst fixed pure milk at 3 percent. fat, at the same time condemning tbe Somerset House analysis us upeless, while the other fixed the limit at per cent. The case ended in the dismissal of tho summons with costs; indeed the only way in which it could end. Now, this cat-e reveals a condition of things which closely affects all who deal with milk, either as buyers or sellers. It clearly shows that anyone of us is exposed to the danger of having our character for commercial honesty weighed in a balance which gives results widely varying according to the hand that supports it." The above is, briefly, an example on the difficulty of detecting added water to milk. It is well known that there is pure milk, straight from the cow, that falls below the standard for purity without water being added, while there are cows that give milk far above the standnrd quality, say, 12 per cent, solids, which will bear some considerable dilution and yet be of better average quality thau the pure poor milk. Poor cows and poor feed will make an inferior quality of milk without the aid of the pump-handle.