No. 4.] DAIRY CATTLE. 69 



the night and morning; that the cattle, when they were not 

 thus situated, had more concentrated food than the grass fur- 

 nished, with the moisture that came to it through the night 

 and through the storm. That was the teaching of that day. 

 Of course, that was a good many years ago, and new ideas 

 and better knowledge prevail to-day in many respects, 

 whether in that or not is a question. 



Ex-Governor Hoard. That is another question. This is 

 a specific question brought out by the Babcock test upon the 

 milk of the cows in my creamery. Always following a se- 

 vere storm there is a decrease in the fat content of the milk. 

 I am not speaking about the question of the cow lying in 

 the shade. That is a question to be separately considered. 

 Whether the cow gets lazy and seeks the shade and does not 

 do half as much as she ought to, or whether the heat is a 

 cause, I do not know. There has been some investigation 

 made by the Vermont Experiment Station, which the Com- 

 missioner here, Mr. Whitaker, has very finely brought out, 

 showins: that as the heat increases above 76° there is a de- 

 crease of butter fat contained in the milk. The effect of a 

 rainstorm upon the decrease of the average butter fat of all 

 the herds represents something like six hundred. 



Secretary Sessions. You mean the decrease is in the but- 

 ter fat of the milk following a storm? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. Yes, sir. Suppose a storm occurs 

 to-day, and all day long there is a pelting storm. At night 

 the cows are milked and the cream is brought to the cream- 

 ery and is tested to-morrow morning. It will show at once 

 that there has been a decrease of butter fat. I reason that 

 it is attributable to the fact that the cow is made uncomfort- 

 able, and thereby nervously disturbed. 



Question. Will it show any decrease in milk? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. Not as much ; still some decrease 

 in the quantity of milk ; but it will mainly show in the 

 butter-fat content. 



Dr. Pierce (of Vermont). Does not the heat and effort 

 of feeding affect the nervous system and disturb it, causing 

 the same discomfort as a rainstorm? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. I reason so. 



Dr. Pierce. I think every physician here will recognize 



