13 



RESULTS AT SEATON DELAVAL. 



The mixed milk of six grade shorthorn cows was tested 

 daily from March 4th till May 12th, 1903. They were all of 

 a good size, and were useful breeding animals, but not heavy 

 milkers. Two of the cows had calved recently, and other two 

 were nearly at the end of their lactation period, but one of 

 the latter was replaced on March 23rd by a pure bred shorthorn 

 cow ; the other was dried off on April 1st, and her place was 

 taken on April 9th by a recently calved Irish heifer. The 

 cows were milked twice a day, at 6 a.m. and 4'30 p.m. 



Mixed milk. During the whole period (seventy days) the 

 solids not fat were remarkably constant, their limit of varia- 

 tion being from 9'1 to 8'5 per cent., and on only one occasion 

 were they as low as the S'5 per cent, standard. They were 

 almost invariably rather lower in the afternoon's than in the 

 morning's milk. The butter fat also was never once under 

 the standard (3'0 per cent.) during the whole of this time, 

 either in the morning or afternoon. The extreme limits were 

 3'1 to 4 per cent, in the morning, and 3'5 to 4'9 per cent, in the 

 evening. The greater variation in the afternoon is probably 

 due to the greater liability of the cows to be exposed to exciting 

 conditions during the day. The cows were in at night for the 

 whole time except for the last four evenings, and were thus 

 protected from exciting conditions and weather changes during 

 the night. During the whole seventy days the average amount 

 of fat was 3'55 per cent, in the morning and 4'09 per cent, in 

 the afternoon. The yield of milk from all the cows varied 

 from 6 to 8 gallons in the mornings, and from 5 to 6| gallons 

 in the afternoons. The intervals between milking were ten 

 and a half hours during the day and thirteen and a half hours 

 during the night. The shorter interval before the afternoon's 

 milking was the main cause of the milk being less in quantity 

 and richer in fat at this time. 



