1882.] ' SETTING MILK. 307 



the energy in the function of the milk gland suffers as soon as any 

 error is made in the feeding or care of the animal. Granting 

 this, and also that in the production of milk the waste, or fatty 

 degeneration of the tissue of the gland plays an important part, 

 we shall have to admit that the varying energy of action of the 

 milk gland may impart varying properties to the milk. The 

 relative proportion of different constituents in the milk may not 

 be greatly altered by slight derangements in the animal economy — 

 that is, a proximate chemical analysis might show nothing abnor- 

 mal, and yet the qualities or properties of those constituents might 

 be seriously affected. Possibly these derangements may affect the 

 relative amount of some of the elements in the ash, and these in 

 turn will influence the quality of the casein in the milk: it will be 

 more or less perfectly held in solution, and will consequently offer 

 more or less resistance to the rising of the butter globules. 



Pending investigation, I believe that one can only count on per- 

 fectly normal milk when the function of the milk gland is en- 

 tirely undisturbed, and the degeneration of the tissue goes on to its 

 last stages without arrest. Very probably the quality of the milk 

 suffers whenever the food or drink disturbs digestion, or its taste 

 does not please the animal, or the general care is poor. That an 

 animal cannot feel well, and cannot produce normal milk when 

 for days and weeks it has no dry bed, or when its flanks are 

 covered with a crust of manure, is as clear as day. 



The difSculty with the separation of cream, whether it occurs in 

 the fall when the cows are old in milk, or in spring, when the 

 stables are becoming more than usually foul, in my opinion is due 

 to slight disturbances in the activity of the milk gland which 

 produce abnormal physical properties in the milk itself. The 

 appearance of adhering butter globules which has been noticed 

 above, indicates either that the degeneration of the tissue has not 

 been complete, or that the casein is not completely dissolved. 



It should be remarked in closing, that the other methods of 

 milk setting suffer at times more or less in the same way from 

 tardy separation of cream, but we have very little accurate infor- 

 mation with regard to the matter, because the usual method of 

 keeping the dairy account is so imperfect. Only when a rational 

 and complete system of dairy book-keeping comes into general 

 use, can we secure statistical material which will enable us to 

 judge intelhgently of the practical value of the various methods 

 of milk setting, and butter making. 



