456 Conditions Affecting Butter-Fat. 



Better feeding alone, or warmer surroundings alone, has little 

 or no effect ; but, combined, they have a marked effect in 

 reducing the refraction and increasing the Reichert-Wollny 

 figure." 



Regarding the judicious selection of the foodstuffs, and their 

 effects upon the milk, the Dairy Inspector of Norway, in his 

 report ( 1 894), J ournal of t/ie Board of Agriculture, vol. I., 1894, 

 page 68, states : " Too small a quantity of artificial feeding 

 stuffs, especially oil cake, is often used in winter, and . . . 

 the milk yields a deficient quantity of butter, poor in fat. 

 Even worse results are said to arise from a one-sided system 

 of feeding with such fodders as brewers' grains, turnips, fish 

 cake and fish meal; these materials can be used with advantage 

 only in small quantities, mixed with large proportions of 

 recognised good artificial foods." 



The influence exerted by various foods on the composition of 

 butter has been studied by a number of observers. Appended 

 are summaries of some of the results obtained, together with 

 the authorities responsible for them. 



All authorities agree that food exerts a very great influence 

 on the firmness of butter, and that nearly all foods have some 

 influence on its flavour. Green fodder tends to produce butter 

 of low melting-point and comparatively rich in volatile acids; 

 mangold-wurzel also gives butter with a high percentage of 

 volatile acids. 



Hay and silage, on the other hand, tend to give butter with 

 a high melting-point (Mayer). 



The volatile acids decrease in amount when no cereals are 

 given (Vieth). Oats, decorticated cotton cake, beans and peas 

 are found to be beneficial in their effects on butter, but linseed 

 meal, grains, Paisley meal and foods containing a large 

 proportion of sugar are best discarded, or at least reduced to 

 a minimum (Spier). 



Cotton-seed tends to produce a butter of high melting-point, 

 with a consequent diminution in the volatile acids, but with no 

 change in the specific gravity of the fat or its colour (Lupton). 



Attempts are occasionally made to influence the amount and 

 nature of the fat in milk by the use of foods containing fat. 

 The testimony as to the value of such foods in augmenting . the 



