I 

 424 FEEDING FARM ANIMALS 



a more or less complicated interrelated whole, which re- 

 act upon each other, so closely that it would be impossible 

 to tell the degree of the influence that should be assigned 

 to each. 



Quality in milk production. Quality in milk relates 

 chiefly to its composition as to constituents, also to taste, 

 flavor and color. The more potent of the influences which 

 affect quality in the milk of the cow and also probably in 

 that of other domestic animals are: (i) Food; (2) breed 

 or grade; (3) individuality within the breed or grade; (4) 

 the time of the lactation period and also of the milk-- 

 ing season when, it is taken from the udder and 

 (5) quantity in the milk flow. The milk of mares is in- 

 fluenced to some extent by work. 



Food affects quantity in milk to a far greater extent 

 than quality (see p. 419). But it also affects quality to 

 some extent with reference to constituents of the milk 

 as to the proportion of the solids and other components 

 which it contains, and in a greater degree, taste and flavor 

 in the same. Food rich in protein may considerably in- 

 crease the proportion of solids but the increase relates 

 to other factors rather than to fat. This would seem to 

 explain how the quantity of butter may to some extent be 

 increased by correct feeding without increasing the propor- 

 tion of the butter fat. The popular view that watery food 

 increases the proportion of water in milk, has not been sus- 

 tained by experiments conducted to throw light upon this 

 question. 



That food exercised an important determining in- 

 fluence on the percentage of butter fat in milk was matter 

 of universal belief until recent years. So deeply rooted is 

 this belief in the minds of a considerable number of 

 practical dairymen, that they still cherish it in the face of 

 evidence based on experiment to the contrary. Many ex- 

 periments carefully conducted have shown that while food 

 may and does increase or decrease materially the total 

 yield of fat, that it does not essentially increase or decrease 



