Influence of Feed on Milk. 411 



(c) Changing One or More Components of the Milk. 



674. Opinions and early experiments. — In the whole realm of 

 dairying no subject arises so frequently for discussion as the in- 

 fluence of feed on the amount of fat in milk. Though the Bab- 

 cock test is fast clearing away uncertainties, many dairymen still 

 hold that certain feeds or feed combinations cause the cow to pro- 

 ' duce mUk richer or poorer in fat than the normal. Scientists, 

 too, have been diyidcd on this question, some holding with the 

 practical dairymen, so called, while others urge that the results 

 of investigations do not warrant their position. 



In 1869 Kiiha' wrote: "The system of feeding is one of sec- 

 ondary importance for milk production; the yield of milk is 

 primarily dependent on the development or productive capacity 

 of the milk glands of each cow, and even with changes from 

 light to heavy feed the supply does not increase in proportion to 

 the nutrients supplied. The same holds true where the farmer 

 aims to increase any single component of the milk, as fat, since 

 it is not possible to attain a one-sided increase of this or any other 

 component in the milk by changes in the system of feeding. No 

 such changes can, at any rate, be reached as are of practical im- 

 portance." 



The author of the above, however, in 1874r-77 conducted trials' 

 in which palm-nut meal in particular, and also malt sprouts, pea- 

 nut meal and cotton-seed meal, when fed to dairy cows, appeared 

 to have an influence on the quality of mUk, the fat content being 

 increased. Usually these experiments were made with single 

 cows and the feeding periods were of short duration, thus giving 

 the immediate influence of a change of feed undue prominence. 

 In later experiments with palm-nut meal, where aU the necessary 

 precautions were taken, the later conclusions of Kiihn were not 

 substantiated. 



Numerous investigations, direct and indirect, on this point 

 have been conducted at American Stations, a reference to which, 

 even, would occupy too much space. The most marked example 

 of seeming change in composition through feed influence was by 



' Landw. Vers. Sta., 12, p. 441. 

 " Jour. f. Landw., 1874-77. 



