12 THE BOOK OF CHEESE 



in the milk, but in all the tissues of the animal. By the 

 time the process of digestion is completed, the volatile 

 flavors have largely passed away. Therefore, if the times 

 of milking and feeding are properly regulated, a dairy-man 

 may feed considerable quantities of strong-flavored prod- 

 ucts, such as turnip, cabbage and others, without any 

 appreciable effect on the flavor of the milk. To ac- 

 complish this successfully, the cows should be fed im- 

 mediately before or immediately after milking, preferably 

 after milking. This allows time for the digestive process 

 to take place and for the volatile substances to disappear. 

 If, however, milking is performed three or four hours 

 after feeding, these volatile substances are present in 

 the milk and flavor it. 1 



In the case of those plants which grow wild in the 

 pasture, and to which the cows have continued access, 

 it is more difficult to prevent bad flavor in the milk. 

 The cows may be allowed to graze for a short time only, 

 and that immediately after milking, without affecting 

 the flavor of the milk. This will make it necessary to 

 supplement the pasture with dry feed, or to have another 

 pasture where these undesirable plants do not grow. 



Undesirable flavors are usually noticeable in the milk 

 when the cows are turned out to pasture for the first 

 time in the spring; and when they are pastured on rank 

 fall feed, such as second growth clover. 



18. Absorption of odors. Milk, especially when 

 warm, possesses a remarkable ability to absorb and 

 retain odors from the surrounding atmosphere. 2 For 



1 Baer, U. S., and W. L. Carlyle, Quality of cheese as affected 

 by food, Wis. Exp. Sta. Bui. 115, 1904. 



2 King, F. H., and E. H. Farrington, Milk odor as affected 

 by silage, Wis. Exp. Sta. Bui. 59, 1897. 



