376 CATTLE 



The Holsteins are now a very popular breed, particu- 

 larly where milk is sold by the quart rather than on the 

 fat basis. In the Louisiana Purchase Exposition test, 15 

 Holstein cows each made a daily average of 53.4 pounds 

 of milk for 120 days, as compared with 41.5 for the 

 Jerseys. A Holstein owned by Powell Brothers of Penn- 

 sylvania produced a daily milk yield of 122 pounds. A 

 recent California test showed 30,318J pounds in one year. 

 Holstein milk, however, is far less rich than Jersey or 

 Guernsey milk. The Holsteins are black and white in 

 color, large in build, with white horns, usually black- 

 tipped, and with a U-shaped udder. 



277. Fat in Milk. Experiments have shown that feed- 

 ing can affect only the quantity of milk, not the per cent of 

 fat in milk. However, it is known that the per cent of fat 



(1) increases as the cows approach the period of dryness ; 



(2) as the last portion of milk is being drawn from the 

 udder ; and (3) as the time between milkings is shortened. 

 The following is the average per cent of milk fat of 

 several thousand American cows of the leading breeds : 



Holstein-Friesian 3.36 



Ayrshire 3.60 



Guernsey 5.30 



Jersey 5.60 



This topic will be treated more fully in the next chapter. 



278. Feeding. When cows are fed, their bodily de- 

 mands are first taken care of. In other words, they 

 maintain themselves before producing milk or extra fat. 

 Too little feed for a dairy cow cuts down the milk yield, 

 but does not affect the quality of the milk ; an excess of 

 feed increases the total weight of the animal, but does not 

 affect milk yields when compared with the result of 

 normal feeding. The following illustrations, given by 

 Van Norman, show this : 



