i9i i.] Effect on Milk of Water given to Cows. 911 



conduct experiments at the Midland Agricultural and Dairy 

 College to test the points raised. 



Seven typical dairy cows were selected from the College 

 herd. They were of the dual-purpose Shorthorn type. 

 These cattle were stall-fed during the whole of the time the 

 experiment was in progress. Their food consisted of concen- 

 trated and dry fodders with the addition of mangolds, and at 

 stated intervals, viz., every seventh day, it was supplemented 

 with a definite amount of salt. 



The amount of water taken daily was measured by allow- 

 ing each cow to drink from a graduated vessel. During the 

 first week access to water was continuous, during the second 

 intermittent. Milking was regularly and expeditiously 

 undertaken, the interval between successive milkings being 

 ten and fourteen hours, evening and morning respectively. 

 The effect of the salt was to be determined by the variation 

 in the yield of milk and its quality. The latter was done by 

 sampling the milk from each cow at each milking, and 

 analysing the milk for fat and solids during the same day. 



The cows were numbered 1 to 7, and the scheme was 

 mapped out in days. On the first day cow No. 1 received 

 four ounces of salt, on the second day cow No. 2 was salted, 

 and so on. Thus one day in each week a cow received salt, 

 and on every day of that week some one cow was receiving 

 salt. For the first seven days each cow had free access to a 

 measured quantity of water. In the second week she was 

 allowed to drink only just before being milked. In the 

 third week water was free, on the fourth intermittent. From 

 the experience gained in the first two weeks the experiment 

 was altered so that instead of giving four ounces of salt in 

 one meal, three ounces were given after the night's milking 

 on one day and three ounces after the morning's milking 

 on the next day. The feeding of six ounces of salt caused 

 purging. 



The result of the experiment appeared to show that 

 periodical doses of common salt administered to cows, even 

 to the extent of purging them, do not necessarily cause them 

 to consume excessive quantities of water ; and that the amount 

 of water consumed by cows has no direct bearing on the 

 composition of their milk yield. 



