14^0 CATTLE 



of ten days a second preparation of butter similar to the first was made, 

 andja^third eighteen days later. 



During the period after the trial, the two groups received the same 

 quantity of mangels, 88.2 lbs per head per day. Ten days later a fresh 

 preparation of butter was made In each case the butter was con^'eyed 

 to the laboratory- to be examined and judged. The butter of the two groups 

 was found to be of the same quality, but that from the feeding with turnips 

 had a higher iodine number and olein content than had that from the feed - 

 ing with mangels. Further the former butter contained one per cent 

 more water, and the butter milk o.iS per cent more fat. However the 

 treatment of the cream and butter explains these differences. 



B Trials withe Cocoa Cake. — This by-product from the manufacture 

 of cocoa, although only recently used in Denmark for the feeding of dairy 

 cows, has quickly acquired the reputation of increasing the percentage 

 of fat in milk. 



The experiments lasted more than three 3-ears and were made on 

 two groups of ver}' comparable cows, one group being permanently fed on 

 cocoa cake. 



In the first year when the earth nut and soja cake (1.75 lbs. added to 

 the ration) fed to the first group, was replaced by 2.42 lbs. of cocoa cake, 

 the quantity of milk diminished, but the percentage of butter-fat did not 

 increase so as to equal that of the second (permanentl}' cocoa fed) group. 

 In the second year an attempt was made to ascertain the influence of the 

 addition of 1.54 lbs. of cocoa cake, particularly as to whether the milk 

 yield was maintained and at the same time the percentage or butter in- 

 creased. But the cocoa fed group in spite of the addition of cake to its 

 ration, gave less milk than did the other group, although this contained a 

 little more butterfat (0.15 per cent) so that the cows of the two groups 

 produced almost the same absolute amount of butter-far. Just as in the 

 preceding trial, the milk from the cocoa fed group proved to be richer in 

 protein but poorer in sugar and ash. A similar trial made in the third 

 year gave concordant results. Thus the principal result is an increase in 

 the percentage of butter-fat in the milk but simultaneously a decrease 

 in the jdeld of milk, so that the absolute quantity' of butter-fat does not 

 increase, even as a result of the supplementary addition of cocoa cake. 

 Since the latter moreover modifies the composition of the milk it mus be 

 considered rather as a poison than a food, and not given to dairy cows. 

 These results are corroborated b}' the data below. 



C. Poisoning by Thebromiite Due to Cocoa Cake. — Professor G. H. 

 Hansen deals with the chemical composition of this cake and describes 

 it as containing an amount of theobromine approximately equivalent 

 chemically and pharmacologically to the caffeine contained in coftee an 

 tea. Cocoa beans are richer in theobromine (i to 2 per cent) than are the 

 shells (0.5 to 0.8 per cent) which form the greater part of the food. How- 

 ever the shells may also contain much theobromine as is indicated by the 

 following data. 



Professor Han.sen publishes the evidence of several veterinary sur- 



