FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 



229 



The fat is the most valuable single component of the milk; it 

 determines the quality and largely also, the value of the milk as 

 a human food, and as a raw material for the manufacture of dairy 

 products. A high fat content is, as a rule, accompanied by a high 

 per cent of solids other than fat, and is, therefore, of direct value 

 in the manufacture of butter, cream, and condensed milk, and, up 

 to a certain extent, in cheese-making as well." 



Factors Influencing Milk Production. — The main factors that 

 influence the amount and quality of milk produced by cows are : 

 Breed, individuality, age, stage of lactation period, frequency of 

 milking, condition, excitement, season of the year, temperature 

 and weather, grooming, and- amount and character of feed. 



Breed. — The various breeds of cows yield milk in different 

 amounts and of different quality, as is well known to all. The 

 following compilation, giving the average production of milk and 

 butter fat by pure-bred dairy cows, will show the extent of the 

 differences between the various breeds in these respects. The figures 

 were compiled from the results obtained in tests conducted for a 

 series of years at four American experiment stations (Maine, New 

 Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin). The cost of feed required to 

 produce 100 pounds of milk and 1 pound of butter fat in the case 

 of the different breeds is also given. Prices of feeds have advanced 

 100 per cent or more since these breed tests were conducted ; hence 

 the figures in the last columns should be increased correspondingly 

 to apply to present-day conditions. 3 



" See also Wisconsin Report, 1901, p. 85. 



