344 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



resorted to, or if there is only deficiency of lime 

 precipitated chalk will do. 



If there is a continued lack of lime and phosphoric 

 acid, diseases of the bones (p. 96) arise, and at the 

 same time the quantity of these substances in the 

 milk diminishes. In the case of a goat which was 

 kept for 42 days on a ration very poor in phosphoric 

 acid, the ash of the dry matter sank from 9-96 to 

 9*57%, the lime from 0-215 to 0-197%, the phosphoric 

 acid from 0-306 to 0-223%. In general the mineral 

 contents of the milk are extraordinarily invariable 

 with ordinary food, and attempts to increase the 

 amount of phosphoric acid, lime, magnesia, potash, 

 soda or chlorine in the milk by feeding these sub- 

 stances in a suitable form were quite unsuccessful. 



During the warmer portions of the year the cows 

 are on the pasture, and this has, according to 

 very general opinion, a favourable influence upon 

 the quantity and quality of the milk. The moderate 

 amount of exercise in the fresh air which is obtained 

 on the pastures only decreases the yield of milk, as 

 has been shown (p. 315), to a very slight extent, 

 sometimes not at all, and leads to the secretion of 

 a milk richer in dry matter and fat. As the animals 

 have the opportunity of consuming a relatively 

 large quantity of grass, which on a good pasture 

 may equal many cereals in nutritive value, the 

 yield of milk may not only not be diminished, but 

 more and richer milk obtained than when stall 



