100 The effects of Plants on Milk [ch. 



Achillea Millefolium L. is stated to impart its bitter taste and strong 

 odour to dairy products when eaten by cows. It contains an alkaloid, 

 Achilleine (CgoHggOigNg) having a pecuHar odour and bitter taste. 



Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum has also been suspected of imparting 

 a bad flavour to butter. 



According to Pott the milk of cows eating Oxalis Acetosella is with 

 difl&culty converted into butter. 



The poisonous principle of Colchicum autumnale is stated to find its 

 way into the milk of animals consuming it, and Miiller states that the 

 milk of goats which have eaten it has caused the poisoning of infants. 



Miiller states that a cat died after drinking the milk of a cow suffering 

 from poisoning by Narthecium ossifragum. 



Mercurialis annua is said to cause milk to be thin, "blue," and poor 

 in fat; while in a case already mentioned (p. 68) M. perennis entirely 

 stopped the secretion of milk. 



According to Chesnut, goats may eat quantities of Euphorbia Lathyris, 

 and it is said that their milk then possesses the poisonous properties of 

 the plants. Ingestion of other Euphorbias appears to have the same 

 effect. 



Cornevin remarks that Melampyrum arvense is considered to influence 

 cows to produce more milk. 



According to some authorities species of Equisetum check milk 

 production or cause it to cease, and E. palustre is stated by Weber to 

 cause the milk of affected cows to become watery, poor in fat, and give 

 rise to a greasy and unappetising butter, while the peld may soon quite 

 fail. 



The ingestion of the foliage of the oak {Quercus sp.) is stated by 

 Cornevin to induce Maladie des Bois, with reduction or entire loss of 

 milk production (see p. 69). Acorns have also affected milk production, 

 and a case is recorded (The Dairy, 1913) in which it is stated that cheese 

 made from the milk of cows which had fed on acorns developed a 

 sharp acid flavour when about four weeks old, though the texture was 

 good. It is not clear, however, how it was proved to be due to the 

 acorns. 



In one case recorded a reddish tinge was observed in the milk of a 

 cow suffering from Rhododendron poisoning (p. 46), and in general 

 reduced milk production appears to occur. 



In addition to the foregoing, there is good authority for saying that 

 the following plants may impart a disagreeable flavour to milk, and in 

 many cases the butter made from it : — 



