92 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION 



and eight months, respectively. These records are given in detail 

 later on. Again, a common doe in the University goat herd gave 

 scarcely over 550 pounds of milk in a lactation period of six months. 

 Composition of Goats' Milk. The composition of goats' milk varies 

 as that of cows' milk, with the breed, period of lactation, and the indi- 

 viduality of the animal. But little information is at hand concerning 

 the composition of the milk of goats of different breeds. So far as 

 known, the milk of the breeds of Swiss origin does not contain as high 

 a percent of butter-fat as that from the Anglo-Nubian or even from 

 some of the common goats. As the doe advances in her period of 

 lactation the fat content of the milk increases. This also varies with 

 other conditions, like intervals between milkings, completeness of 

 milking, etc., so that the test of a single sample of milk will not give 

 a reliable index to the average quality of the mirk. This can only be 

 obtained by regular testing of the milk for one or more full days at 

 intervals during the lactation period, in the same way as for dairy 

 cows. A few analyses of goats' milk taken from different sources 

 are given below. 



.COMPOSITION OF GOATS' MILK (GENEVA, N. Y., AGRICULTURAL 

 EXPERIMENT STATION) 



Analyses were made of twenty-three samples of milk from eleven 

 animals : 



Average Variations 



per cent per cent 



Fat 3.82 1.80- 8.40 



Total solids 12.12 9.22-17.63 



Total proteins 3.21 2.24- 5.21 



Casein 2.40 1.56- 4.06 



Ash 55 .40- .80 



Specific gravity, 1.0294. 



COMPOSITION OF GOATS' MILK (CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL 

 EXPERIMENT STATION) 



Analyses of the milk from the does in the University herd are 

 made weekly. The averages given below are the result of the analyses 

 made weekly during the entire lactation periods. With one exception 

 these does were Toggenburgs. 



Average Variations 



per cent per cent 



Water 88.05 91.5-85.2 



Total solids 11.95 9.5-14.8 



Fat 3.40 1.7- 5.6 



Solids, not fat 8.55 7.8- 9.2 



