\\'at[:r 7 



portion of milk. It is quite uniform, and in milk from a mLxed 

 herd the water seldom falls below 86 per cent and seldom exceeds 

 88 per cent. \'ariations ranging from a little less than So per cent 

 to a trifle o\'er go per cent are on record. But such variations 

 must be looked upon as occurring in onh- a irry few special cases. 



It has often been asserted that cows in the spring of the )'ear, 

 when the^• are pasturing on new grass, or feeding on other suc- 

 culent foods, yield milk which contains an excess of water. Under 

 such conditions there is a tendency for cows to produce milk with 

 a water content a trifle higher, as has already been shown by the 

 figures cpoted from Dr. \'an Slyke. As a rule this is much over- 

 estimated. It is even a commun occurrence io hear creamery 

 operators sa\' that their " soft " or " slush}- " butter, in the early 

 spring, is due tc) the excess of water present in the milk. This 

 particular phase will be discussed further under the heading of 

 " Fat in Milk." 



The following question has (jften been raised: Is the water in 

 milk the same, or an}- more A'aluable than water obtained from 

 other natural sources? The water in milk, so far as known, is 

 transuded from the blood-vessels in the udder into the milk 

 glands. It is so perfectl)' mixed with the other milk constituents, 

 and holds the milk solids in such perfect emulsion and solution 

 that it would seemingly be impossible to prepare milk so per- 

 fectly by artificial means. Howe\X'r, a substance is prepared by 

 Jacob C. Van Marken, Neuweid, German}', which, when added 

 to water, produces a substance similar in appearance to watered 

 skimmed milk. The preparation is named " Kalberrahm Vita." 

 The first name literall}' means calf-cream. It has a s}'rupy 

 consistency, and in appearance resembles light-brownish molasses. 

 It is sold in tin cans, and recommended highly for calf feeding 

 when mixed with skimmed milk. When mixed with water, it is 

 recommended highl}- for hog-feeding. 



Water distilled from milk has the same appearance as ordi- 

 nary distilled water. It is clear and colorless. The chemical 

 reaction when phenolphthalein is used as an inchcator is neutral, 

 as is that of ordinar}- distilled water, even when distilled from 

 milk in which acid has developed. But there is a considerable 



