teh 
FEEDING DAIRY CATTLE 233 
' Season of Year.—The percentage fat conteat of milk appears 
to be subject to certain seasonal influences that are independent of 
thei stage of lactation period, the breed of cows, or the system of 
feeding. The lowest fat content of the milk will, in general, occur 
durittg hot weather, in June or July, and from this time on a regular 
increase occurs, which reaches its maximum in December or Janu- 
ary, and a general gradual decrease then takes place until toward 
midsummer.’ This seasonal influence appears to depend on the 
temperature of the air, and is, therefore, to be expected from what 
was said in the preceding paragraph. 
Grooming and Exercise.—Grooming and moderate exercise 
stimulate the circulation and tend to cause a slight increase in the 
milk production and in the percentage of butter fat in the milk. 
Results of German exyeriments on this point * are somewhat more 
favorable than those of experiments conducted in this country.° 
The effects of grooming on the health of the animals and on the 
condition of the milk are, however, important factors. In dairies 
producing certified or sanitary milk the cows are curried and 
groomed regularly, and udders and hindquarters are washed. This, 
doubtless, is an effective means of promoting the health of the herd 
and lessening the bacterial content of the milk. 
Influence of Feed on Quality of Milk.—Contrary to the 
opinion held quite generally by dairy farmers up to recent years, 
the feed does not exert any marked influence on the quality of 
the milk secretion, so long as the cow receives sufficient nutriment 
in her ration to maintain her body weight. Given a fair amount 
of protein and digestible nutrients in the ration, the quality of the 
milk is not affected by a more liberal system of feeding or by fur- 
nishing any special feed or combination of feeds. Underfed or 
starved cows produce milk of an abnormally low fat content, and 
this may be readily raised to the norma! percentage for the individual 
cow by increasing the feed. On the other hand, by feeding rations 
high in protein, a cow will give milk of'the highest fat content of 
which she is capable, but any improvement in quality that may be 
wrought by such feeding is small, within one or two tenths of one 
per cent above normal at the most. A slight improvement in the 
composition of the milk has been observed in some cases by feeding 
single feeds, notably palm-nut meal and coconut meal, and by 
* See Eckles, Milchw. Zentralbl. 1909, p. 488. 
™Geneva (N. Y.) Bulletin 68; see also Wisconsin Report, 1895, p. 111. 
®Jr. f. Landw,, 41 (1893), p. 332. 
* Vermont Report, 1899, 1900. 
