8 



but in its quick churning. This change seems to be an expla- 

 nation of the difference in the hardness of butters from corn 

 meal and gluten, which is a by-product of corn. Corn meal 

 contains about 4.50 per cent, of this oil, while the gluten from 

 which we have obtained soft butters contains about iS per cent., 

 or four times as much as the corn meal. 2. The softening: of 

 the butter of Duchess when upon cotton-seed oil. With Mara- 

 mee upon cotton-seed oil we got very unsatisfactory results, one 

 sample taken March 27 showing very little variation from her 

 previous butters, while another sample, taken four days later, 

 proved to be remarkably soft. If it prove true, on further 

 investigation, that cotton-seed oil does soften butter, it will show 

 that cotton-seed and its meal contains something that not only 

 offsets the tendency of its oil, but gives to the butter product of 

 the cows fed upon it a remarkably firm texture. 



We propose at some future time to make a much more 

 thorough study of the effects of both corn oil and cotton-seed 

 oil, with reference to their effect upon the character of butter. 



The variations in per cent, of fat in buttermilk were quite 

 wide, and although they are given in the table I will make no 

 comment upon them, as the very small quantities of cream 

 churned probably caused imperfect churning. 



Now, in conclusion, I think that I may say that this experi- 

 ment indicates, — 



That the first effect of an increase of fat in a cow's ration is 

 to increase the per cent, of fat in her milk ; 



That with the continuance of such a ration, the tendency is 

 for the milk to return to its normal condition ; 



That the increase in fat is not due to the oils, but to the 

 unnatural character of the ration ; 



That the results in this experiment tend to confirm the con- 

 clusions expressed in previous bulletins from this station, that 

 the composition of a cow's milk is determined by the individu- 

 ality of the cow, and that although an unusual food may dis- 

 turb for a time the composition of the milk, its effect is not 

 continuous. 



