1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 149 



centage of four, and under a systematic method of feeding 

 I have seen that percentage rise to five, and in spite of 

 all the feeding I could possibly give her, and every single 

 thing to whet and stimulate her appetite, she never changed 

 it. After it si ruck five, it remained there. I made up my 

 mind that I had reached the constitutional limit of that cow's 

 percentage. I made some experiments in this line two 

 years ago. We made twelve thousands tests in our 

 creamery. The work we did that summer was enormous in 

 testing the milk of various patrons. We found one patron 

 with two and a half per cent in his milk, and it was honest 

 milk, too. We found another patron with six per cent. 

 We found other patrons with five per cent. We found that, 

 as a rule, the poorest milk could be very much improved, 

 but the best milk was about as good as it ever could be ; 

 and we concluded that the intelligent feeders and handlers 

 had brought their cows up to their constitutional limit, but 

 the others had kept them below that place which was theirs 

 by right. 



Mr. Bartholomew of Connecticut. If I understand the 

 gentleman last up, an improper ration of feed to a cow does 

 not bring her up to her full richness of milk, but a proper 

 ration would bring her up. Therefore the feed does influence 

 the milk. 



Governor Hoard. Yes, sir ; improper feed and improper 

 feeding will diminish the constitutional limit of the cow. 



Mr. Bartholomew. I think Professor Alvord has 

 expressed the belief that changing the food of a cow does 

 not change the quality of her milk, any more than it would 

 the color of her hair. 



Professor Roberts. You say " the quality of her milk ;" 

 what do you understand by quality?" 



Mr. Bartholomew. The percentage of fat, for instance. 



Professor Roberts. There are other solids besides fat. 

 Let us keep to the word " fat." 



Mr. Bartholomew. I will say " fat," then. 



Secretary Sessions. He did not confine it to the fat, did 

 he? 



Mr. Bartholomew. I think it was used in that connec- 

 tion. There may have been other things brought in. 



