Letters to the Editor

In the late 1920s and early ’30s, our state was on its way to becoming a leader in the dairy industry. Former lumbermen had already established small farms on the cut-over forest land. The relatively cool climate and soil conditions proved favorable for raising forage crops to support small herds of dairy cows. The milk, in turn, was sold for a much-needed cash income.

In 1890, University of Wisconsin Professor Stephen M. Babcock invented a tester which measured the amount of butterfat in milk. Farmers made daily deliveries of fresh milk in metal cans to the factory, where it was weighed and tested for butterfat. The producer was paid accordingly. I remember how eagerly my parents awaited those small, bi-monthly checks enclosed in white envelopes, or “statements”, containing all pertinent information. Sometimes there was only a few dollars left after deductions for purchased cheese and butter were made.

The Babcock tester in our possession was purchased by my husband’s father in about 1925, probably from Sears, Roebuck and Co. It has four receptacles for four long-neck, glass bottles in which a sample of milk and certain amount of sulphuric acid were placed. It was cranked by hand, and centrifugal force made the butterfat rise in the bottle’s neck, where a reading was taken. Thus, a farmer could evaluate each cow’s production, as well as check the validity of the cheesemaker’s calculations. We have all the parts for this tester except the small glass beaker. We would like to know our tester’s value.

-Myrna Kautz, N 1672 CTH X, Merrill, Wis. 54452