80 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



measurements have been made to ascertain the quantity and 

 quality of the milk, so that tlie relation between the quantity 

 and quality of the milk and the different modes of feeding and 

 different articles of food should be ascertained. 



Mr. BiBNiE. I doubt very much whether there have been any 

 accurate observations made. 



Professor Agassiz. I think the instruments by which all 

 these observations may be made with the most perfect accuracy 

 are so easily obtained, that our studies on these subjects should 

 be accompanied by actual measurements, so that the results may 

 no longer be matters of mere general and vague impression. I 

 think a great service would be rendered to agriculture if the 

 lactometer were used to ascertain what is the quality of the 

 milk. There have been some very beautiful experiments made 

 of that nature, and from the reports, (I have not seen them 

 made,) I judge they were neither difficult nor costly ; and 

 therefore I think those who are interested in determining the 

 best modes of feeding should do something to ascertain what 

 they get by their different modes of feeding. 



N. S. Hubbard, of Brinifield. I recollect one thing that came 

 up in connection with one of our cheese factories. On trying 

 the milk we found there was some difference in the quality, and 

 there was one particular dairy the milk from which they sup- 

 posed to be adulterated. It was tried from day to day and week 

 to week, until they were satisfied that water was added to the 

 milk, and means were taken to ascertain with regard to it defi- 

 nitely, so that one man should not bring adulterated milk to gp 

 in with milk that was pure. On getting at the exact facts, they 

 came to the conclusion that the milk was not adulterated, but that 

 owing to the quality of food this dairy had produced a poor quality 

 of nnlk. I had been engaged in the business of sending milk to 

 market for some fifteen years, before the establishment of cheese 

 factories. We fed tons and tons of shorts to our cows during 

 the winter season, so as to get the largest flow of milk ; but we 

 found that by feeding shorts we were running the cows too hard, 

 and that we needed something to support the cow as well as to 

 get a great flow of milk ; and we found, on feeding corn meal, 

 that the cow very soon improved, and the quality of the milk 

 improved. I know the men who bought milk in Boston had a 

 preference for particular dairies ; and it was owing, in, great 



