The Relation of Food to Milk-Fat. 55 



cows. The feeding periods varied from 21 to 47 days in length. 

 The grains were fed separately in addition to a normal ration and in 

 quantities of 1,5, 2 and 3 kilograms* per head daily. According to 

 liis results the fat content of the milk increased proportionately 

 with the increase of protein fed, but did not decrease in the same pro- 

 portion when the protein in tlie food was decreased • He concludes 

 •' that the palm nut cake exerted on tlie whole a favorable influence 

 upon milk production and especially upon the fat content of the milk." 

 The bean meal and wall sprouts did not have a like favorable effect. 

 He found that the addition of one-half kilogram of oil to the ration 

 increased the quantity and quality of the milk. But he considered 

 " that this added fat had no direct influence on milk production ; 

 that it has an indirect effect in this manner ; that a certain quantity 

 of protein is thereby made available for milk production which 

 before the feeding of the fat was used in sustaining the animal 

 body, but the fat now performs this office and permits the protein to 

 be used for producing milk." He concludes also " that these experi- 

 ments, according to all observations, prove in the clearest manner 

 how greatly the milk production, and the possibility of influencing 

 arbitrarily through feeding the amount or composition of the pro- 

 duct, are dependent upon the individuality of the animal." 



Heinrich f compared peanut cake with cocoanut cake, the latter 

 ration containing 350 grams more fat than the former. The rations 

 were alternated in periods of four weeks each and three cows were 

 used. He found that the fat of the milk was considerably increased, 

 both in percentage and total amount, when the cocoanut ration was 

 fed, but there was much difference in the animals regarding this 

 point. It is his opinion that the increased yield of fat may be 

 accounted for by the increased amount of fat in the food. 



Kochs and Ramm :|; fed three cows during four periods of about 

 four weeks each, on rations which contained practically the same 

 amounts of dry matter, and nearly equal amounts of digestible non- 

 nitrogenous matter, but the amount of protein fed was such as to 

 make nutritive ratio varv from 1:8.19 to 1:5.42 to 1:4.31 and to 



*One kilogram (kg.) = 2.2 poinds. 



f Translation in Experiment Station Record, Vol. 1 (1892), p. 87. 



JLandwirschaftliche Jahrblicher 21 (1892), p. 809. 



