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Shannon News, 8 June 1923, Page 2

A dropping test is 'always a matter of concern to dairymen, and many have beep ascribed to such a happening, from the farmer’s wife skimming the can to the factorymanager desiring to increase his over-run. Surely, howevter, no strangi er cause has been found for it than j in the case of a L'evin dairyman whose I percentage, taken on a ten-day term, I was found on testing yesterday to I halve dropped two points just when, i at this time of the year, an increase might be looked for.. The testing was done at the factory, samples of milk being taken each morning, and put into a wide-mouthed bottle with suitable preservatives. During the day this man went about harbouring deep and dark suspicions. This morning, however, the mystery was solved, when a mouse was found drowned in the bottle, which being practically empty, he had over-balanced and fallen into. It, was then found that of all the test-bottles this one alone had been left uncorked right through and the mouse had evidently eaten the cream off each night. A sample of milk was procured and instead of the 3.3 which the bottle had showed, the result, was 7.2 points of butter-fat., and once more peace descended on the country-side.