MILCH-KIN E. 447 



still farther when he states that persons worthy of every credit say 

 they have seen cows in first-rate pastures, which, at the height of 

 their milking time, produced as many as from 74 to 82^ pints of milk 

 in the twenty-four hours. Such a flux of milk can only be very tem- 

 porary, and indeed must occur but very rarely. The herdsmen at 

 Bechelbronn have often diverted me with tales of such marvels 

 but since I have accurately guaged the dairy produce of the farm, J 

 have met with nothing which would lead me to credit their reality 

 We have had cows indeed which have given 26^, and even 31^ 

 pints a day for several weeks ; but these are still very far from the 

 quantities which have been mentioned to me. 



Good feeding is undoubtedly required in order that cows may pro- 

 duce milk abundantly ; but I believe that the influence of particular 

 kinds of forage on the production of milk is often greatly exaggera- 

 ted. Each breeder or feeder seems to have his own favorite article, 

 however, so that there is nothing like uniformity among them ; with 

 one it is the carrot that is in the ascendant ; with another it is the 

 beet that is supreme ; there is no root, in fact, which has not alter- 

 nately had its apologists and detractors. The truth lies between the 

 extremes here as it does in so many other instances ; and I am sat- 

 isfied that each and all the roots and other articles of forage that are 

 generally introduced into the rations of milch-kine, are calculated to 

 produce abundance of good milk ; it is only necessary that the sub- 

 stances be allowed in ample quantity, that no mistake be committed 

 in regard to the nutritive equivalents of the several articles. I do 

 not hesitate to add, that the opinions of the generality of farmers and 

 dairymen on the subject are based on observations which are always 

 more or less imperfect. 



It is but a few years ago that a series of experiments were under- 

 taken at Bechelbronn, with a view to ascertain whether the particu- 

 lar nature of each of the several articles consumed by milch kine 

 influenced the quantity or chemical constitution of the milk in any 

 appreciable manner. The purpose of these inquiries being purely 

 practical, having been undertaken with as pecial eye to the dairy 

 and its produce, the inquiry was confined to the articles that are 

 usually given to cows with us. These necessarily vary with the 

 season, but I have already said that the dole to each head is equiva- 

 lent to 33 lbs. of meadow-hay, which, indeed, always enters in con- 

 siderable quantity into the ration, whatever else be given, unless, 

 indeed, the animals are exclusively upon green meat, when, of course, 

 the use of every thing else is suspended. In winter the hay is mixed 

 with beet, potatoes, turnips, or Jerusalems. In spring the hay is 

 gradually replaced by green fodder, which in the first instance is rye 

 cut green, and by and by clover. The experiments which I shall 

 now detail were made upon a cow which had calved two hundred 

 days, and was again pregnant. 



1st EXPEKIMENT. 



200 DAYS AFTER CALVING. 



The cow fed on hay alone gave 65.42 pints of milk in the courae 

 of seven days, or 9.34 pints per day. This milk consisted of: 



