6 



DAIRY CATTLE AND MILK PRODUCTION 



illustrates this fact forcibly. The comparison is made of the 

 milk produced by a Holstein cow in one year and the compo- 

 sition of the carcass of a fat steer weighing 1250 pounds. 



The total amount of dry matter in the milk was 2218 

 pounds, all of which is edible and digestible. The steer, with 

 a live weight of 1250 pounds, contained 56 per cent of water 

 in the carcass, leaving a total of 548 pounds of dry matter. In 

 this dry matter of the steer is included hair and hide, bones 

 and tendons, organs of digestion and respiration; in fact, 

 the entire animal, a considerable portion of which is not edible. 

 The analysis of the steer's carcass was made from samples taken 

 after grinding up together one half of the complete carcass. 



The cow produced proteids sufficient for more than three 

 steers; nearly fat enough for two, ash enough to build the 

 skeleton for three, and in addition produced 920 pounds of 

 milk sugar, worth as much per pound for food as ordinary 

 sugar. 



In the above comparison the cow was far above the ordinary, 

 and for this reason the following additional data is given from 

 the Missouri Experiment Station, representing the total con- 

 stituents in the milk of several cows of ordinary dairy capac- 

 ity : 



