l6 FIRST LESSONS IN DAIRYING 



The first milk drawn may have as little as 0.8 to 

 2 per cent., while the last half pint may contain 

 from 8 to 14 per cent, of fat, though the average in 

 the entire mess might be only 4 per cent. 



The night's and morning's milk usually differ in 

 the per cent, of fat, the milk being richer after the 

 shorter and quieter period. 



Change of milkers disturbs the per cent, of fat 

 unless the cows are regularly accustomed to having 

 different milkers each time. 



Departures from the regular time of milking may 

 cause slight changes. Change of weather and feed, 

 abuse or fright, all are reflected by a variation in 

 the per cent, of fat. The yield of fat is more con- 

 stant than the yield of milk, generally speaking, and 

 any influence that lessens the milk yield temporarily 

 will usually raise the fat percentage, and vice 

 versa, both returning gradually to the normal. 

 With cows in the normal condition, usually well 

 fed, we have not yet learned how to materially in- 

 crease the per cent, of fat in the milk for any con- 

 siderable period of time, though good feeding can 

 nearly always be relied upon to increase the total 

 yield of both milk and fat, so that method of feed- 

 ing which increases the milk yield increases the fat 

 yield. Exposure to cold storms cuts down the 

 yield of both fat and milk. 



Milk sugar. Milk sugar, or lactose, forms one- 

 third of the solids of the milk and more than one- 

 half of the solids of separator skim milk. It is less 

 sweet than beet or cane sugar, and is obtained com- 

 mercially from the whey at cheese factories. It 



