1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 145 



rain, and the wind shifted round to the north-west, and the 

 ground was frozen so that it was coated with ice. We 

 spread manure over it. The next spring it began to rain, 

 and of course the washings could not go down into the 

 ground, because of the coating of ice ; so they went down 

 hill into the stream. But that is the only time in eighteen 

 years that I have ever experienced any loss. 



Mr. Stone. Would you take it out now, and spread it 

 on level land ? 



Professor Roberts. Yes, sir; spread it onto the land. 



Mr. Stone. If your land is a side hill, is there any 

 danger of losing it? 



Professor Roberts. Where you can drive with a span of 

 horses and be safe, there is no danger. 



Secretary Sessions. I noticed that the professor in his 

 paper stated that he could feed a cow to give thirteen per 

 cent of solids or sixteen per cent of solids, and she would 

 do it. Does he think that by changing the feed he can 

 change the percentage of solids in the milk in any given 

 case? 



Professor Roberts. There is no doubt whatever of that. 

 Smith & Powell have proved it in a hundred instances. 

 Most of you know that they have established a great reputa- 

 tion for the quantity of milk they produce. They were 

 taken to task because, as it was said, their milk was poor. 

 They went to work to improve its quality, and every 

 attempt they made proved a success not only in changing 

 the solids but increasing the percentage of butter. Cows 

 that would not give three per cent of butter fat were easily 

 transformed into cows that readily gave three and a half or 

 four per cent right along. 



Secretary Sessions. How did they do it? 



Professor Roberts. Instead of feeding too rich food in 

 nitrogenous matter and carbonates, they used oats and 

 wheat. 



Mr. Stone. Do you understand that fat cows give very 

 poor milk, and that lean cows give rich milk ? 



Professor Roberts. You can improve the quality of the 

 milk very much by feeding. You cannot do it in a short 

 time. A cow has got to work according to the law that is 



