40 



all classes of soils that need to be enriched. It should never be wasted, and wher- 

 ever it can be cheaply obtained in towns or cities its use will prove proiitable, 



(5) Commercial fertilizers vary greatly in their effect on the yield of crops. Before 

 deciding on their extensive use, the different grades on the market should be tested 

 on a small scale to determine which will give best returns. 



BULLETIN NO. 24, MAY, 1889. 



Experiments on milk production, C. A. Wulff, M. S. (pp. 

 5-16). — The biilletiu contains a " report of progress" on experiments in 

 milk production carried on at tlie Station in three lines: (1) Cold vs. 

 warm water for milch cows in cold weather; (2) divided milkings; (3) 

 studies on milk secretion. 



Cold vs. icarm ivater. — Six cows divided into two lots received, the 

 one cold, and the other, warm water. As the experiment progressed 

 the yield of milk gradually decreased. The amount of water drunk 

 constantly increased with the temperature of the water given. "The 

 effect on the composition of the milk was not sufficiently definite to offer 

 conclusive results." The amounts and composition of the food giveu, 

 amounts and temperatures of the water, live weight of the animals, and 

 yields of milk are stated in tables. 



Divided milMngs. — " It is very commonly known that the last milk 

 obtained during the milking is the richest." An experiment was un- 

 dertaken to get light upon the question as to whether this fact can be 

 advantageously utilized in practice. Six cows were milked daily at 6 

 o'clock in the morning and evening. During each milking the milk was 

 divided by guess into two lots as evenly as possible. The " first half" 

 and " last half" of the milk from all the cows were put in separate ves- 

 sels. Portions were analyzed which showed an average of 2.41 per cent 

 of fat in the first half and 4.28 in the last. In other words, the iiercent- 

 age of fat in the milk last drawn was nearly 50 (43.6) per cent greater 

 than in the first half. "The butter value of the second half of the 

 milking therefore appears to be 43.6 per cent greater than the value of 

 the first half of the same milking." 



Microscopical examinations. — The character of the fat globules, as well 

 as the proportion of fat, affects the value of the milk for butter making. 

 In order to obtain a more complete idea of the results of dividing, samples 

 of the morning's milk of a Jersey and a Holstein cow, both full-blooded, 

 were divided, and the fat globules of each part examined microscop- 

 ically. The globules of the second half of the milking were in general 

 larger and more homogeneous than those of the last half. Among the 

 conclusions are the following : 



(1) Since the amount of fat can differ as much as 43.55 per cent between the first 

 and last drawn parts of the milk during a single day, there seems to be very great 

 economy iu taking ihe first part of the milk for family use. 



(2) When feeding to calves it is quite sufficient to give them milk from the first 

 part drawn, and to supply the further fat necessary for keeping up the nutritive ratio 

 by using the cheaper fat in the meal of the oil containing seeds or grains. 



