Apr. 24. 1916 Effect of Water in Ration on Milk 177 



SUMMARY 



Four different methods of varying the water content of the ration were 

 used in this work. 



(i) A full versus a limited allowance of drinking water. 



(2) Turnips versus a dry-roughage ration. 



(3) Wet versus dry beet pulp. 



(4) Green versus dry crimson clover. 



Eight cows were used in the experiments conducted by the first 

 method, four in the second, two in the third, and four in the fourth. 



In every case except when the crimson clover was fed the amount of 

 water drunk by the different animals, as well as the difference in the 

 water content of the roughages under comparison, was determined. 



With all except one cow. No. 22 in the wet versus dry beet-pulp group, 

 the amount of water in the dry ration did not exceed 75 per cent of that 

 supplied by the wet ration, and with some cows that were given a limited 

 allowance of water the dry ration contained less than 60 per cent of the 

 water content of the full-allowance ration. 



Cow 22 in the wet versus dry beet-pulp group received, when the dry 

 ration was fed, 88 per cent of the water content of the wet ration. 



In the green versus cured crimson-clover group, the former contained 

 71.23 per cent water and the latter 8.33 per cent. The daily ration of 

 green clover varied from 40 to 50 pounds per head, and of the cured hay 

 from 16 to 22 pounds per head. 



Certain individual cows at times produced milk having an abnormal 

 fat content. This effect was apparently independent of the ration, as it 

 occurred not only with the high water-content ration but -with the dry as 

 well. A study of the data obtained in the four series shows that the 

 watery character of the ration has no effect upon the fat content of the 

 milk. 



There was even less variation in the other milk constituents than in the 

 fat. This indicates that rations of varying water content have no effect 

 upon the composition of milk. 



LITERATURE CITED 



(1) Gilchrist, D. A. 



1909. Variations in the composition of milk and their probable causes. In Dur- 

 ham Co. Coun. Educ. Com. Rpts. Dairy Invest. Offerton Hall, 1909, 

 p. 7-27. 



(2) Great Britain Board of Agriculture. 



1911. Effect on milk of water or watery food given to cows. In Jour. Bd. Agr. 

 [London], v. 17, no. 11, p. 910-911. 



(3) 



1913. The effect of watery foods on milk. In Jour. Bd. Agr. [London], v. 20, 

 no. 5, p. 385-392. 



