48 THE KESULTS OF DIFFERENT MODES OF FEEDING ON 



The kind of food upon which cows are fed, has certainly more 

 influence upon the quantity and quality of milk and butter than 

 any other circumstance, the taste and colour being easily affected 

 by it. For instance, when wild plants or weeds are eaten by 

 ■cows, the taste and colour of them are perceptible both in the 

 milk and butter, as well as the cheese made from the same. 



The mode of feeding milk cows may be divided into two 

 Ijranches, namely, pasturing and house-feeding. In order to 

 obtain a good supply of rich milk, when the pasturing system is 

 being adopted, it is not only requisite that there is plenty of it, 

 but also that it is of that quality which is relished by the cows. 

 The best quality of butter and cheese is made from the milk of 

 cows fed on old natural grasses, which also has a better flavour 

 than from artificial grass. Certain wild plants which often grow 

 in meadows or marshy soils, such as the yellow-buttercup or 

 •crow-foot in particular, when eaten by cows, gives a disagree- 

 able taste and colour both to butter and cheese ; for this reason, 

 these weeds ought to be cut down and extracted where practic- 

 able. 



I have had cows producing from five to six pounds of butter 

 per week on young grass, but when put out to old natural 

 pasture the quantity increased to seven or eight pounds from the 

 same quantity of milk. 



Italian rye-grass and clover are often highly esteemed for 

 feeding dairy-cows ; but many people, as well as myself, have 

 found rye-urass alone to be a better butter-producing food than 

 clover, which has also a sweeter flavour. For this reason, the 

 second crop of clover ought seldom to be given to cows. 



But when these are made into hay and well got, circumstances 

 are altered, as they then form a nutritious and palatable food, 

 and impart a sweet flavour both to butter and cheese, especially 

 when given regularly to cows in winter, in addition to their 

 ordinary food a few hours before being milked. 



Tares given to cows once a day form a healthy and nutritious 

 food, and no disagreeable flavour either to the butter or cheese 

 was ever discerned by me when they were getting them, although 

 some people think otherwise. As a rule, I give the cows as 

 many as they can eat to their supper during the summer months 

 wdiile they are green and fresh, and the milk is generally richer 

 in quality, and the butter finer flavoured than when the cows are 

 fed on o-rass alone. Tares abound in veo-etable curd, therefore 

 they give a rich and productive milk to the cheese-maker. It 

 is advisable and advantageous to sow a quantity of peas and beans 

 along with the tares, which will considerably enhance their value, 

 as the quantity of milk will be greatly increased, and the butter 

 and cheese produced will be of the finest quality. 



Carrots when given to cows not only render the milk richer 



