ON FEEDING CATTLE. 



been mauc the subject of much investigation by many of the leading 

 experimentalists during the last few years, and the results of these 

 experiments have been published from time to time. In the main these 

 investigations have been carried out with a view of obtaining definite 

 knowledge with regard to the relation of food to milk-fat in order to 

 solve the question as to whether or not the percentage of fat may be 

 permanently increased by feeding. Notwithstanding all these experi- 

 ments, we have little information beyond theories which are based on 

 the results of these experiments. 



One theory has been long held that milk-fat is produced from the 

 protein in the food. If this were the case a natural supposition would 

 be that by increasing, the amount of protein in the food the proportion 

 of fat in the milk would be thereby increased. 



Another theory is. that milk fat is produced from the iat in the 

 food. Then feeding an increased amount of fat might be supposed 

 to result in a higher per cent, of fat in the mil*. 



A third theory, and one that is more widely entertained, is that 

 so long as the animal is well nourished the percentage 01 fat in the 

 milk is not appreciably affected by even wide variations in the charac- 

 ter of the food provided the food does not contain too much water. 



Professor Whitcher says : " A given animal by heredity is so con- 

 stituted that she will give a milk oi certain average composition, and 

 that by judicious or injudicious feeding the amount is not largely 

 \aried ; the quality of the milk, therefore, being chiefly determined by 

 the individuality of the cow." Professor Kuhn (Germany), however, 

 found that the addition of one pound of oil to the ration increased 

 the quantity and quality of the milk. But he considered "that this 

 added fat had no direct influence on mil* production, but that it has 

 an indirect effect in this manner : That a certain quantity oi protein 

 is thereby made available for milk production, which before the feed- 

 ing of the oil was used in sustaining the animal body ; but the fat 

 now performs this office, and permits the protein to be used for pro- 

 ducing milk/' His experiments therefore go to show in the clearest 

 possible manner how greatly the milk production, and the possibility 

 oi influencing the composition of the product, are dependent upon the 

 individuality of the animal and her power of assimilating oi.. 



There are other lessons to be learned from these experiments. For 

 instance, it would appear that the reason for apparenc fluctuations of 

 the percentage of fat in milk when a change oi lood is given is more 

 MI the d-fturbance caused by the change than because of any extra 

 value of the feed itself. It i^ well known that when a radical change 

 is made in the food oi a cow the secretion of miLv is greatly affected. 

 How long the fluctuation may continue depends upon the capacity of 

 the cow to accustom herself to the new teed, which time may take 

 days or weeks. And when the ,.cow has become accustomed to the 

 change of feed her milk falls back to its normal average condition. 



As Professor Wing states : " While there i a- distinct difference 

 MI the quality tn the rriilk oi the different breeds, the different in- 

 dividuals in the Ln-ed also vary largely m the quality of the milk. 

 The difference in the percentage of fat in milk from differen, cows 

 of the same breed is quite as great as the average difference between 

 the breeds ; that is to say, the difference between the highest and 

 lowest percentage of fat in the milk of different individuals oi the 

 same breed is as great as the difference between the average percent- 

 age of fat in the breeds giving the richest and poorest milk." 



Apart from feed, a dairy farmer should try to make it as agreeable 

 as possible -ior his cows in hot weather by providing them with plenty 

 of shade and water. Long drives to and from the pastures are very 

 trying on dairy cattle, and therefore affect the milk yield, consider- 

 ably lessening its quantity and quality, besides being injurious to the 

 cows in the form of unnecessary excitement. 



