STATE DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 309 



is letting the silage lie around the stable at milking time or letting some 

 of it get out of the manger and stay there and rot. It is surprising how 

 quickly milk will absorb any of these odors. A person can hardly believe 

 it. 



In Vermont one winter, one of the students and I detected the odor 

 of the pig pen in our milk. I went to the management about it and found- 

 that the milk was coming from the farm of a member of the board of 

 trustees, a wealthy man who had sons in the university and the manage- 

 ment was afraid to antagonize him. I thought as I was there only 

 temporarily it would do no harm if I asked the man about it, so I asked 

 him where he put his night's milk. He said in a building where there 

 was nothing else and he opened a window so as to let the fresh air in. 

 It was winter time and that was all that was necessary in the winter time, 

 to open up a window. I said "where is your hog pen." On the side where 

 the window is ? "Yes." "Now," I said, "the odor of that hog pen has 

 gotten into the milk and we detected that odor in your milk." So many 

 of us do not realize how susceptible milk is to odors. Put milk in an 

 open vessel in a refrigerator and you can load it up with anUhing that 

 has an odor. 



Mr. Patterson — You can taste an apple in the cream. 



Mr. Gurler — Anything. I was told of an incident in Vermont where 

 a skunk got into the dairy building. When that butter got to Boston 

 they wrote and told them of the skunk odor they found in the butten 

 I could talk here for an hour on this line showing the susceptibility of 

 milk to contract these odors. I have had some incidents in my school 

 work in that line that would make you laugh till you could not sit up. 



We use soiling and silo all summer. I have about 500 tons. We 

 should have less pasture and draw the silage out and feed it right in the 

 field. We do not feed it in the barn ; we can do it cheaper in the field 

 or grove. Before my silage is gone I have my oats ready. I use Yankee 

 or flint corn and I hold you do not have to have so much pasture. 



Mr. Patterson — How about crowding your cows? 



Mr. Gurler — They are dehorned and do not hurt one another. 



Mr. Do you feed green oats? 



Mr. Gurler — Yes, sir. We feed it with the peas. We have never 

 had any trouble with them. 



Mr. Patterson — What do you think of green rye? 



Mr. Gurler — I have had very little experience with it. I had my 

 cows break into a field once and had some trouble with them. 



One time our pasture got short and we had a pasture we were hold- 

 ing for an emergency ; it was largely white and red clover and my fore- 



