47 



experiments have been carried on for four years, they 

 have never been able, with but two exceptions, to 

 increase the per cent, of fat one-half of one per cent. 

 By that I mean the average of the year. These two 

 exceptions that I speak of were cases where in the spring 

 of 1890 they bought two cows that were very near the 

 starvation point. They were so thin that they called them 

 " Shade " and " Shadow." The average per cent, of fat 

 in their milk was kept for that whole year, and then for 

 the whole of 1891, and this last year was one per cent, 

 above the year before. We must all remember that 

 the test of one cow don't prove a general rule. If Mr. 

 Allen's cows had increased in that proportion all the 

 way through his herd, then I think it would be per- 

 fectly reasonable to suppose that he had increased his 

 quality by feed. 



Me. Monrad: Mr. Allen said he made these tests, 

 one in July, and the other in October, about four 

 months between the two tests. Now, isn't it a fact that 

 the period of lactation has considerably more to do 

 with it than the feed? We all know that every cow, as 

 the time passes along, gives a richer milk, and the but- 

 ter fat is increased. I think your experiment has no 

 value because they were made with four months 

 between. 



Mr. Allen: Well, then, I will go on and tell you 

 some more. I wanted a seven days' test instead of 

 five days' test, and I continued it seven days, but I 

 made an error in feeding that cow. I fed her rye and 

 it produced a very slight indigestion, and from that 

 point on I couldn't make any where near the two 

 pounds of butter per day, and with all the feeding and 

 all the changing I was not able to get it back again. 



Mr. Monrad. That is exactly what I wanted to 



