FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 233 



Season of Year. The percentage fat content of milk appears 

 to be subject to certain seasonal influences that are independent of 

 the stage of lactation period, the breed of cows, or the system of 

 feeding. The lowest fat content of the milk will, in general, occur 

 during hot weather, in June or July, and from this time on a regular 

 increase occurs, which reaches its maximum in December or Janu- 

 ary, and a general gradual decrease then takes place until toward 

 midsummer. 6 This seasonal influence appears to depend on the 

 temperature of the air, and is, therefore, to be expected from what 

 was said in the preceding paragraph. 



Grooming and Exercise. Grooming and moderate exercise 

 stimulate the circulation and tend to cause a slight increase in the 

 milk production and in the percentage of butter fat in the milk. 

 Results of German experiments on this point 8 are somewhat more 

 favorable than those of experiments conducted in this country. 9 

 The effects of grooming on the health of the animals and on the 

 condition of the milk are, however, important factors. In dairies 

 producing certified or sanitary milk the cows are curried and 

 groomed regularly, and udders and hindquarters are washed. This, 

 doubtless, is an effective means of promoting the health of the herd 

 and lessening the bacterial content of the milk. 



Influence of Feed on Quality of Milk. Contrary to the 

 opinion held quite generally by dairy farmers up to recent years, 

 the feed does not exert any marked influence on the quality of 

 the milk secretion, so long as the cow receives sufficient nutriment 

 in her ration to maintain her body weight. Given a fair amount 

 of protein and digestible nutrients in the ration, the quality of the 

 milk is not affected by a more liberal system of feeding or by fur- 

 nishing any special feed or combination of feeds. Underfed or 

 starved cows produce milk of an abnormally low fat content, and 

 this may be readily raised to the normal percentage for the individual 

 cow by increasing the feed. On the other hand, by feeding rations 

 high in protein, a cow will give milk of the highest fat content of 

 which she is capable, but any improvement in quality that may be 

 wrought by such feeding is small, within one or two tenths of one 

 per cent above normal at the most. A slight improvement in the 

 composition of the milk has been observed in some cases by feeding 

 single feeds, notably palm-nut meal and coconut meal, and by 



6 See Eckles, Milchw. ZentralbL, 1909, p. 488. 



T Geneva (N. Y.) Bulletin 68; see also Wisconsin Report, 1895, p. 111. 



8 Jr. f. Landw., 41 ( 1893), p. 332. 



9 Vermont Report, 1899, 1900. 



