ILLINOIS dairymen's ASSOCIATION. 



37 



A similar trial with a single cow, selected for the apparent uniformity of 

 her product, and of her health, appetite and general condition, month after 

 month, gave these results : 



100 LBS. MILK 



FOUND 

 TO CONTAIN 



Actual fat 



Butter obtained 



FED HAY 

 AND GRAIN 

 IN MARCH. 



4.76 pounds. 

 4.23 " 



FED CORN ENS- 

 ILAGE & GRAIN 

 IN MARCH. 



4.42 pounds. 

 4.39 '' 



FED CORN ENS- 

 ILAGE ALONE 

 IN APRIL. 



3.93 pounds. 

 3.95 



ON GRASS PAS- 

 TURAGE IN 

 MAY. 



4.64 pounds. 

 4.75 



The fat determinations are not the result of full chemical analysis, but 

 are obtained by the Marchand Lacto-butyrometer, introduced by Prof. Cald- 

 well. In connection with these figures it may be remarked that as no method 

 of perfect churning is known, a considerable percentage of butter fat being 

 always found in the skim milk and butter milk, yet the percentage of water 

 in all good butter is so much larger, that no churning can be regarded as 

 satisfactory that does not produce a greater weight of well-made, unsalted 

 butter, to a given quantity of milk, than the chemist can obtain of pure 

 butter fats. 



Tha above results, although they should be considered as merely prelimi- 

 nary to necessary further investigation, appear to establish the variable ef- 

 fect of different food upon the churning quality of the milk product, and the 

 Houghton Farm experiments, partially supported by those of Geneva, indi- 

 cate that the greater the proportion of succulent food, the more completely 

 the churn will do its work. 



It will be at once noticed that the practical application of this matter, so 

 far as it proves true, most concerns those who follow winter dairying. The 

 indication is that there is a pretty heavy loss of butter in any herd kept in 

 winter quarters entirely on dry feed. Should future investigation verify the 

 facts now presented, a supply of succulent food for winter use will become 

 a necessity to economic dairying. This food, in our northern states, must "' 

 be either in the form of roots or ensilage. There are some localities where 

 large crops of roots can be easily and profitably grown. In such cases, I am 

 not prepared to argue that any form of ensilage is either better or cheaper. 

 But it is certainly true that, as a general rule, ensilage is the better way for 

 the dairy farmer to provide his cows with a green bite in winter. This is as 

 far as we have got with ensilage at Houghton Farm. We substitute it prof- 

 itably and with very satisfactory results for all kinds of roots and for all 

 stock to which roots are fed ; and in quantity we only feed it as we would 

 roots. But this ensilage subject is too big to be introduced here, and ihere 

 is abundant information upon it in print, accessible to all. 



Our first point is, therefore, that in testing any cow or any lot of mixed 

 milk, the character of the food given to the cow or cows involved, needs to 

 be carefully considered. 



The next question is, how should milk in quantity, or by sample, be 

 handled, in order to accurately test it ? 



A series of experiments made at Houghton Farm has led to the conclu- 

 sion that in churning the whole milk there is no certainty of getting all the 

 obtainable butter at the first churning or even at a second churning. It has 

 been a custom at this farm to treat the milk of every cow separately, getting 



