AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 129 



The yearly loss with individual cows varied from 14.5 pounds 

 to 6G.1 pounds of fat, or from one pound in twenty-five to one 

 pound in four of the total butter fat. At least ninety per cent, of 

 this loss was in the skimmed milk. Granting that a Separator 

 would take out the fat from the milk of all the cows equally clean, 

 so that in no case would the residue exceed .10 per cent., then the 

 loss in the skimmed milk would vary with these cows from three 

 to eight pounds yearly. 



The yearly saving for a herd of cows like the Jersey Agnes 

 woula then not exceed $1.50 per cow, while for such cows as 

 Nancy Avondale and Queen Linda the saving would be not far 

 from $5.50 and $16.50 respectively, reckoning butter at twenty- 

 two cents per pound. It is possible that the milk of such cows as 

 Queen Linda can be manipulated in some other way by the 

 addition of water or otherwise, so as to overcome to some extent 

 the cause which prevents the easy rise of the fat globules. 



The Ef: ect of Food Upon the Availability of the 

 Fat of Milk. 



The term ''churnability," or the availability for conversion into 

 butter of the fat of milk, is one of no significance, some claim. 

 That may be true if the milk is to be manipulated with the aid of 

 the Separator or Butter Extractor, but not if the cream is to be 

 raised by the method now most commonly in use in Maine. We 

 have seen how largely different the percentage of waste of fat is 

 with different cows. What as to the waste with the same cow 

 when fed rations greatly unlike? It now seems to be accepted by 

 some, prematuieh^ it appears to others, that ensilage as a food 

 increases the proportion of the total fat of the milk which finds its 

 way into the butter. The observations made at this Station dur- 

 ing the past year do not accord with that view. Let us examine 

 the data bearing upon this point. 



During the season of 1888-89, the cows were fed dry food 

 exclusively until March 8th. From that date to May 10th they 

 were given from forty to fifty pounds of ensilage per day, when 

 they were returned to dry feed until they were sent to the pasture 

 early in June. 



