VARIATION' OF FAT IX AIILK 79 



records of two cows in tlie same Canadian herd, both of which 

 freshened in the s[)rin,t:; and at practicall\- the same time also 

 the a\'eraL'e for lourteen cows at the Gene\-a Station: 



8. Feed of Cows. — There was at one time a \ery general 

 behef, which still has its advocates, that the per cent of fat in 

 milk varies with the nature of the food the cow recei^x■s; Ijut 

 many investigations made both in America and in Europe ha\e 

 shown thtit, practically speaking, the richness of a cow's milk is 

 not influenced by her food. A narrow ration, one mtide up 

 quite largely of concentrates rich in protein, will stimulate the 

 milk flow, a fact which is well known and made use of by those 

 experienced in the fitting and feeding of cows for high official 

 records; but it does not increase the per cent of fat in the 

 milk. 



Observations b}- the Copenhagen fDenmark) Station o\'er a 

 period of ten years, and including about 2000 cows, led the 

 observers to conclude that foods high in protein content m.ay 

 possibly raise the fat-content of the milk to the extent of o.i 

 per cent — a very slight increase if actualh' an increase at all. 

 Lindsa^• of the ^Massachusetts Station found that a ration with a 



