( 748 ) 
months of the year, but owing to the difficulty of distinguishing it - 
from adulterated butter, this fact is not taken into account. 
On the contrary in some countries it has been considered necessary 
to prohibit the sale of such butter. 
Enabled by the Government to find the means of raising the amount 
of volatile fatty acids of the fat of milk, I have during my experiments, 
which are in progress since the middle of last year, arrived at results, 
which also from a purely scientific point of view, are not to be con- 
sidered unimportant, as I expect they will throw some light on the 
still dark problem of the process of the secretion of milk. 
In the first place we may mention here the experiments, which 
have been made to ascertain the influence of feeding with sugar-beet- 
foliage, on the R.M.W.-number and the refraction-number of the 
butter. It is unnecessary to state here the motive which led to 
making experiments with beet-foliage. 
The cattle, selected for this experiment, grazed in old meadow- 
land, had taken no additional food when the experiment commenced, 
and fed exclusively on grass. 
In order to ascertain the R.M.W.-number and the refraction- 
number of the fat of the milk of each of the 4 cows, samples of 
milk were taken from each cow three days in succession, namely 
on the 19, 20% and 21st of October, and the fat obtained there- 
from by churning was examined. 
These and the samples of milk taken later on, have been obtained 
by mixing equal quantities of morning- and evening-milk of the 
same day. Hach sample contained 1!/, litre and was always sent 
without delay to the Experiment-station, where they were made sour 
with buttermilk and churned as soon as they were ready for it !). 
Milk of different cows was never mixed. 
On the 224 of October the 4 cows were divided into two groups. 
Until that day they had grazed in the same meadows, but had to 
be separated as two of them, (N° 1 and 2), were to be fed on 
beet-foliage *). 
To prevent any change which might be caused by removing them 
1) From experiments made on purpose it has appeared to me, that the means of 
souring and the degree of sourness of the milk ready for churning, have no influence 
on the R.M.W.-number and the refraction-number. 
*) It must be „understood that beet-foliage not only consists of the leaves of the 
beet, but of the heads of the beet-roots as well. These adhere to the foliage at 
harvest time. 
It may be taken for granted that 20 to 25 percent of the weight of the so- ee 
beet-foliage consists of the tops of beet-roots. 
