422 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. IV, No. s 



INFLUENCE OF PRICKLY-PEAR ON PERCENTAGE OF FAT IN MILK 



It is a common belief of many farmers that the percentage of fat in 

 milk varies according to the character of the ration; on the other hand, 

 the results from several experiment stations indicate that the fat content 

 is an individual characteristic that is not aflfected by the feed. The 

 average percentage of fat in the milk for each cow during the entire 

 feeding periods is given in Table XIII and shows conclusively that 

 prickly-pear in the ration caused a reduction in the percentage of fat. 



Table XIII. — Influence of prickly-pcar on percentage of fat in milk. Averages for the 

 various feeds during full periods of 80 days 



In order to ascertain the more immediate effect on the fat percentage 

 of feeding prickly-pear, Table XIV has been prepared, showing a 

 comparison between the last lo-day period preceding the change in the 

 ration and the first lo-day period after the change. As stated before, 

 10 days were allowed between the periods for making the change. 



