424 FATTY ELEMENTS OF FOOD, AND ON FATTENING. 



quantity of rape-cake, still very rich in oil, the cows were kept in 

 excellent condition ; but the butter was extremely soft, and had the 

 taste of rape-seed oil to a degree that was perfectly intolerable. 



I do not know a single instance in any of the systems followed at 

 Bechelbronn, in which a milch-cow does not receive in her ration a 

 quantity of matter analogous to fat, superior to that which is con- 

 tained in the milk she yields. Having upon a certain occasion put 

 a cow exclusively upon beet, I anticipated an unfavorable effect on her 

 milk ; and in fact a very sensible diminution in all its valuable ele- 

 ments occurred, and the animal began to suffer. By simply adding 

 a few pounds of straw which had been taken away, the milk resumed 

 its standard quality. The two rations thus composed may be con- 

 trasted under the two points of view of contents in fat and contents 

 in organic matter. 



In the ration of beet and straw (beet 119 lbs., straw 7|lbs.) there 

 were 140 dwts. 20 grs. of fatty matter ; in that composed exclusively 

 of beet (132 lbs.) there were but 38 dwts. 14 grs. of fat. The ill effects 

 of the beet- root ration could not be ascribed to deficiency of inorganic 

 elements, for the phosphate of lime it contained amounted to 37 dwts. 

 7 grs. — amply sufficient for all the purposes of the economy. 



The information we have from M. Damoiseau, one of the most 

 careful of the observers who have investigated the subject of the 

 production of milk, confirms us in our views of the necessity of fatty 

 matters in the daily ration of the milch-cQw. The following are 

 the elements of three of the rations for a cow in M. Damoiseau's 

 establishment. 



No. I. No. «. No. >. 

 Beet, or mangel-wurzel. . 88 lbs. Carrots 74 lbs Potatoes 55 lbs. 



Bran 6.6 " 6.6 " 6.6 



Pollard. 5J " 5.5 " 5.5 



Lucern 6.6 " 6.6 " 6.6 



Oat-straw 13.2 " 13.2 " 13.2 



Salt 0.11 " 0.11 " 0.11 



121.0 107.0 88.0 



Maximum. Medium. Minimum. 



Quantity of milk yielded.. From 25 to 26 pts. 16 to 18 pts. 12^ pts. 



Let us now calculate the actual nutritive value of the different 

 items in the above rations ; or, selecting one, let us take that with 

 the beet for particular consideration, as among the most usual. 



6.6 lbs. of bran and 5.5 lbs. of pollard at. .. . 5 per cent=0.60 of fatty matter 



6.6 lbs. lucern 3 " =0.33 



13.2 lbs. oat-straw 5 " =0.60 " 



1.53 



Whence it follows, that a cow here received upwards of 1| lbs. 

 of matter of a fatty nature with her food — a quantity more than suf- 

 ficient to produce not only 16 or 18, bu. the maximum quantity of 

 25 or 26 pints of milk, very rich in cream. Did the cow receive an 

 additional 40 lbs. of beet-root, she would find something like 12 lbs. 

 more of solid matter in this article, composed especially of sugar, 

 which sne would burn to keep up her temperature, and nearly 25 

 4wt0. ol oily matter, which she would transfer to her milk, — to say 



