No. 4.] MARKET MILK. 101 



you create an abnormal condition, and you may change it a 

 little, — not more than .2 of a per cent in fat. You will get 

 variations from day to day, and you can't explain them, but 

 it isn't the feed. There are other things that may affect the 

 fat: if a cow has been scared by a dog, or is nervous, or has 

 been out in the cold wind, — these things all have an influ- 

 ence; but when you come down strictly to the standpoint of 

 the feed, you can't change the fat very much. 



Mr. W. A. Kilbouen (of South Lancaster). I want to 

 take exception to the recommendation of cement floors. I 

 have known disastrous effects from them. I think such floors 

 result in injury, not infrequently trouble in the bag causing 

 difficulty, and causing the cattle to get cold. I have known 

 of cases where I think cement floors resulted in a large pro- 

 portion of the cattle coming down with tuberculosis. It is 

 almost impossible to keep bedding under cattle on a cement 

 floor. When they lie down and move a little the bedding will 

 work away, and you will find their bare skins come in con- 

 tact with the cement floor, and necessarily it is cold and un- 

 comfortable. In our barn we have a cement floor, which is 

 lined with plank, which, when they are somewhat worn, can 

 be taken up and replaced ; but the cement floor itself is a 

 cold thing to have, and when my cows go out they are apt to 

 slip upon it, and we are using sawdust over the cement to pre- 

 vent the slipping. 



Another point in regard to the cost of cleanliness and the 

 proper ratio in the increase of price. To get what we call 

 reasonably clean milk, the cost is about double, — that is, to 

 take our dairies as they are ordinarily cared for by men who 

 have other work to do in the regular working hours of the 

 day. The cows are not very carefully taken care of, but 

 where men give special care to the dairy, the herdsmen have 

 to occupy the whole time ; and it strikes me that a not unfair 

 estimate of the increased cost is about double for the care 

 and attention they should rightly receive. 



Mr. Laxe. I gave perhaps extremes, but they are actual 

 figures obtained by studying the conditions where dirty milk 

 was produced and where clean milk was produced. 



I can't say I agree with you on the subject of cement floors, 



