6 DAIRY TECHNOLOGY 



Milk contains iron and phosphorus in sufficient quan- 

 tities to supply the needs of a growing individual. These 

 minerals are specially needed during the period of cell 

 and tissue building, the nucleus of the body cell being rich 

 in iron and phosphorus. 



The water in milk is also essential to the body. Milk 

 contains enough water to supply the body, providing the 

 body is at rest and no dry food other than milk is con- 

 sumed. 



The nutritive ratio of milk is about i: 4. While this 

 ratio is a little narrow, the proportion of the different com- 

 ponents is nearer perfect than in any other single food. 



Pure, sweet and wholesome milk as a food is preferred 

 to any other natural food, that is, food not prepared by 

 man. Originally the milk from cows was utilized solely 

 for their young. Owing to man's skill in selecting and 

 breeding, the qualities of dairy cows and their products 

 have been regulated and developed to such an extent that 

 the cow's milk serves in a large measure as a food for man. 

 The specialized dairy types produce large quantities of 

 milk, and the richness of the milk can be regulated by 

 making the proper selection of cows. 



Milk cannot be said to be a perfect food for adults, be- 

 cause, in the first place, milk contains too large a per cent 

 of water. As a consequence, too much bulk (8 to n Ibs. 

 daily) would have to be consumed to obtain the necessary 

 nutrients. Secondly, there is a trifle too large a percentage 

 of protein in milk in proportion to the fat and carbohy- 

 drates (1:4). Thirdly, the milk nutrients, not including 

 water, are too concentrated or condensed. A certain 

 amount of bulky food is generally admitted to be necessary 

 to the best digestion and health of a person or animal. 

 Fourthly, a digestive system, receiving no other food than 



