470 THE FARMER' 



bestows in his dairy. It is the difficulty of ensuring 

 good dairy management, indeed, which prevents 

 many farmers from engaging in this profitable 

 branch of farming. Still, as our large and annually 

 increasing consumers of fresh butter will probably 

 continue to ensure full prices to the farmer, it be- 

 comes very important that the production of butter 

 should be increased in amount, and yet its quabty 

 carefully maintained. 



Before, then, I endeavour to promote this very 

 desirable object, by referring to the recent labours 

 of one or two great dairy owners, let us refresh our 

 memory by re-e.Kamining the average chemical com- 

 position of ordinary milk. This may be taken as 

 that given by Haidlen, and quoted by Mr. Horsfall. 

 From this analysis, taking a full day's milk of a 

 cow to be equal to 4 gallons, or upwards, of 40lbs., 

 this would contain of soUd matters : — 



lbs. 



Casein or cheese, about 2.00 



Butter 1.25 



Sugar of milk 1.75 



Phosphate of lime 09 



Common salt and other saline matters .11 



5.20 

 Let us next briefly examine some of the recent 

 researches which have been made as to the more 

 profitable yield of butter, from the general result 

 of which, we may safely conclude that a generous 

 diet for the milch cow is the most beneficial to the 

 dairy owner. On this question, Mr. Horsfall, of 

 Burley, has produced most valuable evidence {Jour. 

 Roy. Ag. Soc, vol. xvii. p. 2G0) ; and this will well 

 repay the careful consideration of the dairy owner 

 of other districts, and where a widely different sys- 

 tem of feeding is adopted. The food he bestows 

 upon his cOws, varying with the season, he thus 

 describes : — 



" My food for milch cows, after having under- 

 gone various modifications, has for two seasons 

 consisted of rape-cake 5lbs., and bran 2lbs., for 

 each cow, mixed with a suflficient quantity of bean- 

 straw, oat-straw, and shells of oats, in equal pro- 

 portions, to supply them three times a day with as 

 much as they will eat. The whole of the materials 

 are moistened and blended together, and after 

 being well steamed, are given to the animals in a 

 warm state. The attendant is allowed lib. to 1Mb. 

 per cow, according to circumstances, of bean-meal, 

 which he is charged to give to each cow in propor- 

 tion to the yield of milk — those in full milk getting 

 2lbs. each per day, others but little : it is dry, and 

 mixed with the steamed food on its being dealt out 

 separately. When this is eaten up, green food is 

 given, consisting of cabbages, from October to 

 December, kohl rabi till February, and mangold 

 till grass time. With a view to nicety of flavour, I 



S MAGAZINE. 



limit the supply of green food to 30 to 35lbs. per 

 day for each. After each feed 4lbs. of meadow 

 hay, or 12lbs. per day, is given to each cow : they 

 are allowed water twice per day to the extent they 

 will drink." 



The dairy cows of Mr. Horsfall are, it seems, 

 purchased at the neighbouring markets. The 

 breeds of this district, he tells us, have a consider- 

 able admixture of the shorthorn, which is not noted 

 for the richness of its milk. 



Before proceeding to describe the amount of 

 cream and butter obtained from a given quantity of 

 milk at diflferent seasons of the year, and with 

 varying kinds of food, he remarks : — 



" In the summer season, whilst my cows were 

 grazing in the open pastures during the day and 

 housed during the night, being supplied with a 

 limited quantity of the steamed food each morning 

 and evening, a marked change occurred in the 

 quality of the milk and cream ; the quantity of the 

 latter somewhat increased, but instead of 25 oz. of 

 butter per quart of cream, my summer cream 

 yielded only 16 oz. per quart. 



" I would not be understood to attribute this 

 variation in quality to the change of food only. It 

 is commonly observed by dairy-keepers that milk 

 during the warm months of summer is less rich in 

 butter, owing probably to the greater restlessness 

 of the cows, from being teased by flies, &c. I am 

 by no means sure that, if turning out during the 

 warm months be at all advisable, it would not be 

 preferable that this should take place during the 

 night instead of during the day time. Towards the 

 close of September, when the temperature had be- 

 come much cooler, and the cows were supplied with 

 a much larger quantity of the steamed food, results 

 appeared very similar to those which I had ob- 

 served and described from December to May, 1855. 

 During the month of November the quahty was 

 tested with the following result. 



"From 252 qts. old milk were taken 21 qts. of 

 cream, of which 20 were churned, and produced 

 468 oz. of butter, which shows : — 



27.50 oz. of butter for 16 qts. of new milk. 

 23.40 oz. „ each qt, of cream. 



"During May, 1856, my cows, being on open 

 pasture during the day, were supplied with two full 

 feeds of the steamed mixture, together with a sup- 

 ply of green rape-plant each morning and evening. 



"The result was that from 324 qts. of old milk 

 23 qts. of cream were skimmed, of which 22 were 

 churned and produced 515 oz. of butter, which 

 shows : — 



24 oz. of butter from l6 qts. of new milk. 



22.41 oz. „ each qt. of cream." 



The very important question, in such enquiries, 

 as to the condition of the cow under such a copious 



