THE FEEDING OF MILCH CATTLE 335 



with animals like milch cows, which are easily 

 affected by nervous impulses. 



It has, in fact, been proved that under certain 

 conditions substances which are particularly agree- 

 able to animals — as, for instance, fennel, aniseed, 

 the scent of aromatic hay, etc. — have a favourable 

 influence upon the milk yield. In experiments with 

 goats and milch sheep the effects of two rations with 

 exactly the same nutritive value have been compared. 

 In one case the ration was partly composed of very 

 good meadow hay, whilst the other was an artificial 

 mixture of straw, starch, gluten, oil, ash of hay, etc., 

 and was a very tasteless food. The result of the 

 experiments showed that in no case was it possible 

 to obtain the same yield of milk from the second 

 ration as was got from the ration containing the 

 meadow hay. 



When a small part of the mixed food was replaced 

 by fennel, aniseed, or malt coombs, or when an 

 extract from hay, or the volatile essential oils dis- 

 tilled from hay, were added to the unpalatable ration 

 a distinct rise in milk production was achieved ; 

 sometimes even the milk yield was equal to that from 

 normal food. Amongst those substances tried the 

 only one which failed to show any advantage was 

 fenugreek. When, however, the above-mentioned 

 substances were added to the ration containing 

 meadow hay no benefit at all was noticed, for the 

 aromatic components of the hay were sufficient. 



