348 CATTLE-BREEDING. 



the milk. Milk, the chemists tell us, contains 

 all the elements of the animal body (hence its 

 completeness as a food ration); therefore it can 

 only be made by a ration rich in these elements. 

 The food ration for milk must then be a rich 

 one. What the ration lacks the milk will be 

 deficient in. That one cow can be made to 

 give as rich milk as another may not be pos- 

 sible; but by proper food a cow may be made 

 to give richer milk than when fed on improper 

 food. 



There is no better ration for milk than 

 abundant pasturage in old pastures. In new 

 meadows of clover only, or of any one grass, 

 there is not enough variety to ensure a full 

 ration; but as the meadows grow older other 

 grasses spring up to give the needed variety 

 and make the ration complete. Hence in the 

 summer good pasturage and plenty of it is all 

 the cows need. But in the seasons of the year 

 when this is not to be had it must be replaced 

 by an abundance of other food. Not only so; 

 as cold is one of the great drains on the animal 

 system and a great consumer of food, shelter is 

 required so that the greatest possible amount of 

 food shall go to milk production. The capacity 

 of assimilation is only just so great and the 

 amount of food is therefore limited, and econo- 

 my of resources must be practiced. Not only so, 

 but the physiological effects of cold, especially 



