538 EXPERIMENTS WITH DIFFERENT KIiNDS OF FOOD. 



cal views. The most extensive series of trials lately published is that 

 of Boussingault, [Annales de Chini. et de Phys., Ixxi., p. 79,,] from 

 which I select the following : — 



FIRST SERIKS MADE ON A FRENCH COW. 

 Tta„=»f»/>.. Quarts Composition of the milk per cent. 



^^iljni Kind of food. of , > 



^**^^"S. njijk. Casein. Butter. Sugar. Salts. Water. 



200 Hay .... 5 30 45 47 01 8T7 



207 Turnips ... 5i 30 42 50 02 87-6 



215 Beet .... 5 34 40 53 02 871 



229 Potatoes ... 4f 34 40 5-9 02 865 



302 Hay and oil-cake 2^ 34 36 60 02 868 



SECOND SERIES MADE ON A SWISS COW. 



176 Potatoes and hay 8} 33 48 51 03 865 



182 Hay and clover 7j 40 45 4 03 872 



193 Clover ... 8f 40 22 47 03 888 



204 Do. in flower . 6j 37 35 5 2 02 874 



In the first series of experiments the proportion of cheesy matter and 



of sugar was greatest when beets, potatoes, and oil-cake were given, 



while the largest proportion of butter was obtained from the use of hay 



and the least from oil-cake. 



In the second series the proportion both of cheese and of butter de- 

 creased by the use of clover, while the quantity of milk was not per- 

 manently increased. 



These two series of experiments may appear to be deserving of less 

 reliance because they were not made on successive days, but at varying 

 intervals of time. But some recent experiments, made in Lancashire 

 by Dr. Playfair, are little more satisfactory. These were made upon a 

 short-horned cow, which was fed one day in the field on after-gra.ss, and 

 during the four succeeding days in the stall, upon weighed quantities of 

 different kinds of food. [Memoirs of the Chemical Society, i., p. 174.] 



Composition of the milk. 



Day's Food. Qts. ,  > 



Casein. Butter. Sugar. Salts. Water. 



lo Aftor^vocc S Evening's milk.. 4 5-4 3-7 3-8 0-6 86-6 



X . Alter-grass ^Morning's do.. 4^ 3-9 5-6 3-0 0-5 87-0 



2°. 281bs.Hay ; Evening's do.. ^ 4-9 5-1 3-8 0-5 85-7 



2ilbs. Oatmeal S Morning's do,. 4 5-4 3-9 4-8 0-5 85-4 



'°- -lbs "oJtmeaV-; Evening's do.. 4 - - _ - - 



ribs Bean Flour: :^>I°"""g'« ^-" ^^ 3-9 4-G 4-5 0-7 86-3 



^°-?im«^H!.v°^'"-- Evening's do.. 5 3-9 6-7 4-6 0-6 81-2 



8lb?BeanVlour::S^«™''«'« ^o.. 4 2-7 4-9 5-0 0-5 86-9 



6°. 141bs.Hay ; Evening's do.. Gj 3-9 4-6 3-9 0-5 87-1 



301bs. Potatoes... S Morning's do.. 4f 3-5 4-9 3-8 0-5 87*3 



In these experiments there appears an increase in the proportion of but- 

 ter and sugar, and in the quantity of milk on the fourth day, when the 

 potatoes, hay, and bean flour were given together. On the fifth, when 

 potatoes and hay only were given, the (piantity of milk went on increas- 

 ing, but it was poorer in quality. Could we infer any thing, then, from 

 a single day's trial, it would be that the bean meal had aided in tbe pro- 

 duction of butter and sugar — instead of cheese, as theory would indicate 

 — while the steamed potatoes had added to the quantity of the milk. 

 But no sensible results can justly be expucted in regard to the influence 



