SPECIAL FEEDING. 337 



stantly improving his yield of butter by special feeding ; 

 and, contrary to the German experiments, this increase in 

 butter was not from an increased yield of milk, but from 

 an improved quality. His improved quality resulted from 

 feeding through the winter, and till the tenth of May (when 

 grass became good), a ration of corn, oats and buckwheat, 

 ground together ; and from May tenth grass alone till the 

 latter part of August, when fodder, corn and pumpkins 

 were given in addition to grass during the fall and early 

 winter. His constant improvement of the quality of the 

 milk, year by year, was just what might, philosophically, 

 have been expected. And as the yield of milk, per cow, 

 was no greater at the end of seven years than at the begin- 

 ning (5,094 pounds in 1857 and 5,017 pounds in 1863), this 

 must be regarded as a demonstration that this special feed- 

 ing affected, radically, the quality of the milk. 



We have illustrated this point of special feeding at con- 

 siderable length, because many intelligent feeders have 

 been discouraged from any attempt at improvement in the 

 quality of the milk of common cows by supposing that 

 science had proved its futility. The common understand- 

 ing of all good feeders, that cows may be improved, both 

 in quantity and quality, by intelligent feeding to that end, 

 has not been weakened by any just interpretation of any 

 experiments, scientific or otherwise. 



Having considered the selection and size of dairy cows, 

 the effect of temperature and exercise, special feeding, and 

 the German experiments on the effect of feeding upon the 

 quality of milk, we are now ready to consider practical 

 modes of feeding for milk. 



The dairy industry is so extensive in this country in- 

 volving one of the largest agricultural products that the 

 most careful consideration of it is required. 

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