98 MAIXE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMEXT 5TATI0X'. 



than corn or cottonseed meals, and the fats of these soft butters 

 had higher iodine absorption power, indicating a change in their 

 chemical composition. Also at the same Stationf it was shown 

 that when oils were fed the butter fat produced varied its com- 

 position in most cases in accordance with the composition of the 

 fat fed. 



The A'ermont Experiment Stations found that a gluten meal 

 having about 12% fat made a softer butter fat with lower melt- 

 ing point and a higher iodine number than other rations con- 

 sisting of corn meal and bran, or of cottonseed meal, corn meal 

 and bran. 



Spier§ observed, in his extensive feeding experiments, that the 

 different concentrated feeds affected the melting point of the but- 

 ter very materially. He obtained the firmest butter with the 

 highest melting point when decorticated cottonseed cake was fed, 

 and attributes the cause to the highly nitrogenous ration used. 



A. Mayer** states in his account of extensive investigations 

 in feeding cows that the hardness of butter is considerably 

 aft"ected by the food. 



Practical dairymen have long been aware of the fact that cer- 

 tain concentrated feeds when liberally used in rations for milch 

 cows, have a very decided eff'ect on the texture or grain 

 of the butter. Cottonseed meal is very generally known to pro- 

 duce hard butter, while the gluten meals are equally well known 

 to produce soft butter. Com meal has always been used to some 

 extent by farmers who have practiced feeding grain and is 

 known to make excellent butter of about the desired degree of 

 hardness, and the glutens which are a by-product from the 

 manufacture of glucose or starch from corn, and therefore, a 

 corn product, would be expected to make butter having like 

 characteristics. In practice, however, they have been found to 

 have a very different effect and the reputation of the gluten 

 products for making soft butter has become so well established 

 that in some sections of the State butter factories have refused 

 to accept cream from parties who were feeding them. Among" 

 private dairymen the opinion very generally prevails that these 

 feeds are not desirable for use, especially in Avarm weather. On 



t Bulletin Xo. 16. : Report of ttie Vermont Experiment Station 1:&7. 



§ Transactions of the Highland Agricultural Society, Scotland, IS^T. 

 **Land-w. Vers. Stat. 41, pp. li-3b- 



