SOME OF THE CAUSES AND THEIR PREVENTION 329 



the late fall months, when turnip tops or turnips were fed, for 

 the purpose of eliminating or removing odors from milk pro- 

 duced by cows having access to turnip tops or turnips. 



For butter-making, the German government permits the 

 addition of nitrate of potash to milk or cream for the purpose of 

 removing flavors produced by the cows eating beets or beet tops. 

 Onions and garlic predominate in the early spring and soon dis- 

 appear. As soon as the grass advances to such an extent that it 

 supplies the wants of the cows, they prefer it to weeds of any kind. 



Advance in Lactation, Winter Feeds and Stable Conditions. 

 It is thought by many that the advanced period of lactation has a 

 pronounced detrimental effect on the flavor of butter. Experi- 

 ments conducted at the Iowa Experiment Station in 1896 (Bul- 

 letin 33. pages 606-609), by McKay and Eckles, do not sub- 

 stantiate this theory. In the various tests made the rrilk 

 from the Experiment Station herd was used. The milk of 

 fifteen cows, which averaged an advance of 239 days in their 

 lactation period, was classed as stripper milk; while the milk 

 of seventeen cows, which averaged an advance of 107 days in 

 their lactation period, was classed as milk from fresh cows. 

 During this experiment the cows were on good blue grass 

 and were being fed, in addition, one-quarter of a pound of 

 cottonseed meal at the beginning of the period. The cotton- 

 seed meal was gradually increased, until at the end of the experi- 

 ment they received i pound each per day. The milking was 

 done under personal supervision so that no error might be made 

 through mixing the milk from the two lots. After being milked 

 and strained into cans the milk was taken directly to the cream- 

 ery. When the evening's milk was taken to the creamery it was 

 aerated and put in an ice-box which was filled nearly to the top 

 of the cans with ice and water. This kept the milk in good con- 

 dition until the next morning, when the evening's milk and the 

 morning's milk were mixed together and separated. 



The milk from the fresh cows was separated and cared for in 

 the same manner as that from the strippers. In order to make a 

 closer connection between flavors a starter was prepared from the 

 mixed milk of two stripper cows, the periods of lactation of which 



