338 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



Whilst it may be conceded that there are perhaps 

 certain feeding-stuffs which favourably influence the 

 production of milk fat, no conclusive proof has as 

 yet been furnished in a single case. 



(g) The effect of foodstuffs injurious to health. 



All injurious foods, even when the quantity 

 which is consumed does not lead to any apparent 

 injury to health, are liable to reduce the quantity 

 and fat contents of the milk. An earth-nut meal, 

 for example, which contained small quantities of 

 castor-oil meal, reduced the milk yield in a herd of 

 cows by i%, although only in a few cases was the 

 health appreciably affected. A similar effect has 

 been observed in the case of poppy-seed cake, 

 which probably contained traces of opium. The 

 unfavourable influence which many damaged food- 

 stuffs have upon the milk yield may probably be 

 due to the presence of substances injurious to health 

 (p. 118). The prejudicial effects of injurious foods 

 are much more pronounced with milking stock than 

 with fattening or working cattle. 



(6) Food for Mitch Cattle. 



From the statements already made and from 

 the results obtained from well-conducted associa- 

 tions dealing with the testing of milk, it may be said 



