352 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



WATER FOR MILCH Cows. 



All dairymen have observed that cows require a very 

 large amount of water whilst in full milk. Prof. Horsfall 

 made a comparison as to the water drunk by fattening 

 cattle and milch cows of the same weight. He found that 

 cows, when giving only 20 Ibs. of milk per day, drank 40 

 Ibs. of water more than fattening cattle of the same weight, 

 and he inferred from this that the cows gave off from the 

 lungs and ths pores of the skin over 20 Ibs. of water per 

 day more than fattening cattle of the same weight, since 

 the water contained in the milk yielded was only about 

 17M Ibs., whilst the cow consumed 40 Ibs. of extra water. 

 On examining the manure from cows and fattening cattle, 

 he found the amount of moisture the same in both cases. 

 This is an interesting comparative experiment of the 

 capacity for water drinking in the fattening animal and 

 milch cow, whether we accept the theory of its use or not. 

 The experiments have not been numerous and exact enough 

 to determine the precise method of the expenditure of all 

 the water ; but the large capacity and necessity for water 

 in the milch cow is abundantly proved ; yet it may be 

 worth while to mention the experiments of M. Dancel, 

 reported to the French Academy of Sciences. His experi- 

 ments were to determine the effect of quantity of water 

 upon quantity and quality of milk. He says that by in- 

 ducing cows to drink more water, the quantity of milk 

 yielded by them can be increased in proportion up to many 

 quarts per day, without perceptibly injuring its quality. 

 The amount of milk, he states, is proportional to the 

 quantity of water drunk. In experimenting upon cows 

 fed in stall with dry fodder that gave only 9 to 12 quarts 

 of milk per day, but when this dry food was moistened 

 with from 18 to 23 quarts of water daily, their yield was 

 then from 12 to 14 quarts of milk per day. Besides this 



