652 Effect of Food on Milk Production, [nov., 



cake have the contrary effect ; but this naturally depends upon 

 the quantity and proportionate richness in fat of the food in 

 question. The fat contents of the food, however, exert no 

 influence upon the proportion of fat in the milk. A high 

 ration of fat reduces, as a rule, the quantity of milk, and 

 from o'5 to o*6 lb. of digestible fat per 1,000 lb. live weight 

 in the daily fodder is sufficient. 



Professor Kellner also refers to the fact that some food 

 stuffs have the property of influencing, in one or other 

 direction, the amount and the fatty contents of the butter-fat. 

 The first exact investigations which were carried out in this 

 direction, at the beginning of the seventies of last century, with 

 palm nut cake showed that the cake increased the fat contents 

 of the milk by from 0*3 to 0*4 per cent. This effect varied 

 much in individual cases. It was clearly apparent in the case 

 of one cow, but not in the case of others. Since the time 

 mentioned, a great number of observations have been made. 

 Sometimes favourable results, sometimes unfavourable results 

 have been obtained, and sometimes no particular effects at all. 

 The individuality of the animal counts for nearly everything 

 in such cases. Where observations have been made of a 

 number of cows sufficient to average individual cases, the 

 composition of the milk has not been found to be essentially 

 influenced by the food supplied. Investigations in the latter 

 direction have been made for many years by the Experimental 

 Laboratory of the Agricultural High School in Copenhagen, 

 where a mixture of barley and oats has been used as a 

 standard. This mixture was compared with maize in the 

 case of 370 cows ; with oil cake mixtures (one-third rape, one- 

 third palm nut, and one-third sunflower cake) in the case of 

 480 animals; and with beets in the case of 660 cows. In none 

 of these experiments was there any observable change in 

 the composition of the milk as regards its fat contents. There 

 is, however, always the possibility that certain food sub- 

 stances, more particularly palm nut, cocoa nut, and their 

 meals, may increase the fat contents in the case of certain 

 cows in a herd. 



Another paper read at the Congress by Professor Boggild, 

 of the Royal Agricultural High School at Copenhagen, 

 referred chiefly to the conflicting views which have been held 



