78 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Individuality. — This is the great factor influencing the 

 quality of milk. The milk of some cows is almost uniformly 

 above the standard, "because they are built that way;" 

 other cows are always below that standard, because of their 

 individuality. If any person has permanent trouble in pro- 

 ducing milk up to the standard, the cause is doubtless with 

 the kind of cows he keeps. Introducing into the herd those 

 that give richer milk will bring up the average quality of the 

 mixed milk so that it will be all right. There is nothing in 

 bovine nature repugnant to 13 per cent solids ; it is as easy 

 to make 13 or even 14 per cent milk as 11 or 12 per cent, 

 by getting proper cows to secure that result, though at 

 present prices it would not be profitable. Offer a sufficient 

 financial inducement, and in a few years every farmer in the 

 State would have cows that would produce 15 per cent milk. 

 Professor Cooke and many others have said that the indi- 

 viduality of the cow is the leading factor in the case, and 

 feed is subordinate. 



Some Illustrations. 



Before leaving the discussion of the quality of milk, I de- 

 sire to introduce graphic illustrations of some actual tests 

 of milk. They were taken under such conditions that their 

 value must not be over-estimated, but they are exceedingly 

 interesting. Each of the large Boston contractors employs 

 a chemist who intends to take one sample each month from 

 each dairy that furnishes his company with milk. This is 

 analyzed and the result is recorded. These results are not 

 conclusive proof of the average quality of milk. They in- 

 clude adulterated milk and milk that has not been thoroughly 

 mixed. If changes have been made in the animals in a herd, 

 there is no knowledge of this fact or of how the cows are 

 cared for. If the herd has an undue proportion of new 

 milch cows or strippers, that fact does not appear. 



In the accompanying figure the lines A and B represent 

 the average of the analyses of milk for two different cars for 

 four years. A * is almost uniformly above the standard, and 

 at times much above it, while the other car (B) is below 



* The Brookfield car. 



