BEAN AND LINSEED MEAL 387 



essential element in the food of the milch cow, and that 

 any deficiency in the supply of this will be attended 

 with loss of condition, and a consequent diminution in 

 the quality of her milk. 



I am clearly of opinion that you can increase the pro- 

 portion of butter in milk more than that of caseine, or 

 other solid parts. From several, who have adopted 

 my treatment, I learn that on substituting rape-cake 

 for beans they perceive an increased richness in their 

 milk. Mr. T. Garnett, of Clitheroe, who has used bean- 

 meal largely as an auxiliary food for milch cows during 

 the winter season, tells me that when rape-cake is sub- 

 stituted, his dairymaid, without being informed, per- 

 ceives the change from the increased richness of the 

 milk. Mr. Garnett has also used linseed-cake in like 

 quantity ; still his dairy people prefer rape-cake. 



Mr. Whelon, of Lancaster, who keeps two milch cows 

 for his own use, to which he gave bean-meal and bran 

 as auxiliaries, has recently substituted rape-cake * for 

 bean-meal ; he informs me that in a week he saw a change 

 in the richness of milk, with an increase of butter. 



The vegetable oils are of two distinct classes : the 

 drying or setting represented by linseed, the unctuous 

 represented by rape-oil. They consist of two proximate 

 elements, margarine and oleine ; in all probability they 

 will vary in their proportion of these, but in what 

 degree I have not been able to ascertain. Though the 

 agricultural chemists make no distinction, as far as J 

 am aware, between these two classes of oils, the prac- 

 titioners in medicine use them for distinct purposes. 

 Cod-liver oil has been long used for pulmonary com- 

 plaints ; latterly, olive, almond, and rape oils are being 

 employed as substitutes. These are all of the unctuous 

 class of oils. Mr. Rhind, the intelligent medical prac- 

 titioner of this village, called my attention to some 

 experiments by Dr. Leared, published in the Medical 

 Times , July 21st, 1855, with oleine alone, freed from 



* The analysis of cotton-seed cake, in comparison with rape and Unseed 

 cake, in a former chapter of this work, will show the comparative value 

 of that as food for milch cows. 



