1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 21 



use of about 3 pounds daily can be recommended. For horses, 

 a moderate amount of molasses is found to be useful as an appe- 

 tizer and tonic ; and the same is true for pigs. Molasses feeds 

 are in general found to be rather high in price as compared with 

 possible home mixtures, and would seem to possess no advan- 

 tages as compared with such mixtures. 



The results of experiments to determine the effects of soy 

 beans minus the oil and of soy bean oil as food for dairy cows 

 are presented. It was found that the meal, although exception- 

 ally rich in protein, does not change the proportion of the dif- 

 ferent ingredients of milk. The oil temporarily increases the 

 proportion of fat, and is found to affect the quality of the butter 

 to a considerable extent, and on the whole unfavorably. 



The report calls attention to experiments which are in prog- 

 ress on the effects of nit on milk secretion, and refers briefly 

 to research work with soils from the different plots in Field 

 A.i 



It has been found that feeding molasses in large quantities 

 depresses the digestibility of other foods used with it. 



A section of the report of peculiar interest at this time, when 

 the question of milk standards interests so many, deals with the 

 chemical composition of milk. The average composition of the 

 milk of most of the different prominent breeds, based upon a 

 large number of analyses in different sections of the country 

 as well as in foreign countries, is presented. 



The effects of fat upon the composition of milk and butter fat 

 and upon the consistency of butter are discussed by Dr. Lindsey. 

 His experiments have shown that neither the proteid nor carbo- 

 hydrate groups of nutrients when fed in normal amounts have 

 any noticeable effect upon the proportion of different ingre- 

 dients, nor on the character of butter fat. Any changes which 

 occur as the result of variations in feed are usually consequent 

 upon the kind and quantity of oil contained in the feeds used. 

 Dr. Lindsey has found that when the feeds contain vegetable 

 oils in excess of normal amounts the butter is soft. He finds 

 that the flavor of butter depends primarily on cleanliness, the 

 stage of lactation of the cow, the skill and care of the butter 

 maker and the separator used. 



1 For an account of the experiments on Field A, see report of the agriculturist, page 32. 



