406 Feeds and Feeding. 



liis herd. The true dairy cow is easily affected by unfavorable 

 conditions. 



Babcock of the Wisconsin Station, » after careful studies with 

 cows in many ways, writes: '' The elaboration of milk does not 

 proceed at a uniform rate from milking to milking, but is most 

 active at the time of milking, and is dependent not only upon the 

 stimulus which the milk glands derive from the manipulation of 

 the teats and udder, but upon the nervous condition of the animal 

 at the time of milking. 



''In consequence of this, slight changes in the conditions under 

 which the milking is done may have a decided influence upon 

 both the yield and quality of milk. As a general rule the quality 

 of milk, measured by the per cent, of fat which it contains, is 

 more sensitive to changes of this kind than is the yield of milk. 

 Among the changes which appear to have most influence in this 

 respect, the following are of especial importance, viz. : Change in 

 the interval between milkings and in the rate of milking; change 

 of milkers and manner of milking, especially if the manipula- 

 tion of the teats and udder be different; change of environment 

 and any circumstance which excites or even slightly disturbs the 

 animal at the time — excitement between milkings, if the cow has 

 become quiet before milking, appears to have comparatively little 

 influence. As would be expected there is a great difference in 

 cowfs in this respect, some being very sensitive, while others are 

 scarcely affected at all. In our experiments cows that have been 

 giving milk for a long time have been less sensitive in this respect 

 than fresh cows that were giving a large quantity of milk, but 

 this may have been due to individual characteristics of the 

 animals tested and not to the advanced period of lactation. I 

 would recommend, therefore, in order to obtain the best results 

 from any cow, that first of all she be treated kindly, all sources of 

 excitement being avoided so far as possible. She should also be 

 fed and milked at regular intervals by the same person, and all 

 conditions should be maintained as nearly uniform as possible at 

 all times. It is my opinion that kind treatment and pleasant 

 surroundings will have a greater influence upon the quality of 



» Rept. 1889. 



