LESSON SEVENTEEN 
DAIRY CATTLE 
1. Milk.—This product of the bovine race is composed 
of a white, opaque substance, in which small globules of 
fat are floating. It is devoid of odor, except for a short 
time after its extraction. It is of slightly sweet taste. 
When it has been allowed to stand for some time, a thick, 
fatty, yellowish-white stratum forms upon its surface. 
This is the cream. Skim milk has a bluish-white tint. 
The milk of some cattle races is of a golden tint and of 
other races of a paler, lighter tone. On standing for some 
hours, exposed to the air, milk exhibits an increasing acid 
reaction, from the formation of lactic acid from the milk 
sugar. 
2. Two classes of dairy cows.—Dairy cattle fall within 
two special classes—one, where the milk yield is of mod- 
erate quantity but the fat propor- 
tionally high; and a_ second 
where the quantity of milk is 
large but the fat much lower. To 
the first class belong the Jerseys 
and Guernseys, and to the sec- 
ond the Holsteins and Ayrshires. 
Jerseys and Guernseys are 
known as the “butter breeds,” 
the Holsteins and Ayrshires as 
the “milk and cheese breeds.” 
The quantity of milk and its 
quality of any representative 
cow is an individual as well as 
A Dairy QuEEN 
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