MILK PRODUCTION 



179 



in fat." In proof of this statement he quotes the following 

 data : 



It is very difficult to obtain information on these points 

 because the amount of total solids, and more particularly the 

 amount of fat, in milk are affected by many other conditions, 

 and to a much greater extent than by the influence of the 

 food. 



The food of the animals also affects the composition of 

 the milk solids in a qualitative as well as in a quantitative 

 sense. In general, foods which are rich in fats 'tend to pro- 

 duce butter of a softer character than those which are richer 

 in protein and carbohydrates. Adolf Mayer declares that when 

 the food is very rich in carbohydrates, the butter fat contains 

 a larger amount of volatile acids (p. 43). The fat of the 

 food does not pass directly into the milk, but it has a very 

 direct influence on the texture of the butter. Cotton cakes, 

 for example, are said to produce harder butter than linseed 

 or rape cakes. The views of practical men on this subject are 

 shown below : 



FOODS WHICH TEND TO PRODUCE 



