56 DAIRYING 



Average per cent, fat in milk 



Not every cow in the herd showed the same effect of this 

 change each year, but during four years only 2% of the cows gave 

 thinner milk on pasture than on stable feed. In one year 7% 

 of the cows and during three years 15% -of the cows gave thinner 

 milk during the first two weeks on pasture than in the last two 

 weeks on stable feeding. The results as a whole show that milk 

 from pasture feed is not as a rule poorer than from stable feed, 

 and that there are no facts to uphold the double standard of milk 

 which has been adopted by some cities and states where a thinner 

 milk is permitted during the months the cows are at pasture than 

 in the winter months of the year. 



211. Effect of Heavy Grain Feed. Many trials have been 

 made to show the relation between the amount and the richness of 

 a cow's milk and the amount and richness of her feed. There is an 

 impression among some cow owners 'that rich feed makes rich milk 

 and vice versa. The experiments made on this point invariably 

 show, however, that while an increase in the grain ration may cause 

 a gain in the milk flow and more butter is made, there is practically 

 no change in the per cent, of fat, or in the richness of the milk. 

 If a cow is giving 20 pounds of milk per day, and it tests 4% fat 

 this amounts to .8 pounds butter fat or about one pound of butter 

 per day. If her grain ration is increased she may give 25 pounds 

 of milk per day, but this milk will test approximately 4% of fat 

 the same as it did before. This increase will make more butter 

 than formerly, even though the test of the milk has. not changed, 

 since 25 pounds of milk testing 4% fat gives one pound of butter 

 fat. This is about 1.2 pounds of butter, or a gain of 20% .in the 

 amount of butter made by the cow in consequence of the increase 

 in feed, even though there was no change in the test of the milk. 



The following figures were obtained in an experiment made 

 by the writer in which an attempt was made to increase the .grain 

 ration of three cows to as large a quantity as seemed safe without 



