62 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



Dairy Characteristics, Quantity of Milk. &quot; Much pains has been taken in foreign 

 countries to keep an account of the quantity of milk yielded by the Dutch-Friesian cows, 

 and to compare it with the yield of the most productive breeds of other races. In the yearly 

 quantity of milk yielded by the Bern, Simanthal, Allgau, Limburg, and Ayrshire cattle, in 

 some instances, the result has been in favor of the Bern, Simanthal, and Allgau breeds; but 

 generally the superiority has been with the Dutch. The Limburg and English breeds, in 

 which we include the Ayrshire, cannot be compared with them. 



The quantity of milk depends much upon the locality from whence the Dutch cattle are 

 selected, whether from a clayey, loamy, peaty, or sandy soil. If we compare the cattle 

 bought by the Germans on the eastern borders of our country with the cattle bred on our 

 rich pastures, we find that the yield of the latter is far superior to that of the former. 



In order to obtain a correct comparison of the yield of milk of different breeds, the 

 large, medium-sized, and small animals of each breed should only be compared together. 



In my description of the South Holland cattle, the large and medium-sized cows, under 

 which we may also range those of Groningen and Friesland bred on clayey and loamy soils, 

 3,500 litres* a year I have given as the average yield. It is stated by many a landowner or 

 farmer that, from time to time, their productiveness amounts to 5,000 or 6,000 litres. Cows 

 yielding those quantities are not at all rare. We, therefore, conclude: 



1st. The yield, 3,500 litres a year, is but a medium quantity, and cannot be accepted as 

 the yield on the clayey, loamy, and peaty soils of North Holland and Friesland. 



2dly. Though portions of North Holland are sandy and dry, yet the cattle belong to 

 the large variety, and these larger cattle are very superior to the best Swiss and Allgau, and 

 even to that exquisite milk breed known under the name of Rosenstein and Wirtemburg. 



Quality of Milk. &quot;Another characteristic of these cattle is the richness of their milk. 

 This also has been often examined and compared with the milk of other breeds; sometimes, 

 however, without regard to the many circumstances on which depend the percentage of 

 cream and butter, viz., constitution, age, manner of feeding, time of calving, milking two or 

 three times a day, milking dry or not, morning or evening s milk, dry or green fodder, 

 winter or summer time, etc. All this waiting for closer examination, it may be said with 

 some certainty that only the mountain cattle races, including the small Alderney cattle, 

 possess a higher percentage. The importation of mountain cattle into our low countries, 

 in this respect, has led to no favorable results. The caseous or cheesy matter in the milk of 

 all our native cattle varies from 8 to 16 per cent., the butyraceous or fatty material from 2 

 to 4- per cent., depending on the various circumstances. 



Compared with the rich milk of the best foreign cattle, the difference is but slight; and 

 it may be stated that this breed yield the most abundant quantity of a highly butyraceous 

 milk. The average quantity of cream is 10 to 11 per cent., with which the butyraceous 

 quantity of 3 to 3^ corresponds. Baumhauers experiments show a difference of cheesy and 

 butyraceous matter of 0,210 to 0,469. From these facts we see that the quantity of butter 

 is such as to allow our best milch cows to vie with any other breed. Except the accurate 

 experiments and examinations of Dutch milk by Professor Baumhauers, no others are 

 known to me. I have intentionally pointed out the quantity of butyraceous milk matter, 

 because, judging from the information derived from abroad, some foreigners doubt this, by 

 which they disparage unjustly the quality of this breed ; therefore, I add, that caseine, butter, 

 and sugar of milk are to be found in their milk in as large quantities and of as excellent 

 quality as in any other milk breed, with the exception of the Alderney, and possibly some of 

 the mountain cattle, which they greatly surpass in productiveness.&quot; 



From the above authority, the high estimate placed upon the cattle in their native 



* The litre is nearly the same as our wine quart, the difference being so slight as not to be worth 

 considering in this connection. 



