Conditions Affecting Butter-Fat. 



455 



not yet sufficiently recuperated. A little later on the butter 

 from these dairies was yielding normal figures. 



If further evidence were required as to the effect of inclement 

 weather and scanty food upon the composition of butter-fat, it 

 would be furnished by a report which has been made to the 

 Royal Agricultural Society of Denmark by Messrs. Boggild and 

 Stein. The report describes some experiments, carefully devised 

 to elucidate the matter, which have been carried out in Denmark 

 with the view of obtaining direct evidence as to some of the 

 causes which may give rise to abnormal butter. The following 

 is a short summary of the experiments and their results : — ^ 



Twelve cows, due to calve between the end of November and 

 some time in February, were selected for the trials, which were 

 carried out in 1896 upon the estate of the President of the 

 Society, Count Danneskiold-Samsoe. These twelve cows were 

 divided into four sets of three, the sets being as nearly equal as 

 possible. 



Expt. 1. — At first all four sets (I., II., III. and IV.) were out at pasture. As lenj 

 as this was so (4th to 15th September), the butter yielded by each set was " abnormal " ; 

 it had a low proportion of volatile acids and a high refraction number. 



Expt. 2.— On 17th September sets Land II. were stabled. Set I. was fed on 

 cold, wet grass and lucerne ; set II. was given a liberal diet of corn, cake, hay, roots, 

 and straw. 



The butter from set I. showed a slight improvement, but was still "abnormal." 

 That from set II. had become normal in less than a week. 



Of the other two sets, III. was left just as before, but IV., whilst still remaining in 

 the fields, was given from the 17th September a liberal allowance of corn and cake, 

 in addition to the grass. 



Neither of these two sets shewed any improvement in the analytical figures of the 

 butter. The better diet in the case of IV. had no effect whilst the cows were still 

 suffering from exposure to cold weather. 



Expt. 3. — Sets III. and IV. were then stabled at night only, but turned out 

 during the day. Set III. was given a little corn and cake (2 lb. per head); the diet 

 for IV. was the sameias before. Sets I. and II. remained as in Expt. 2. 



The butter produced gave in all cases practically the same results as in Expt. 2. 

 Stabling III. and IV. at night alone had no effect ; the exposure during the daytime 

 still produced low Reichert- Wollny numbers and high refraction. 



Expt. 4. — On the 15th October all the cows were taken into stables and fed 

 liberally on good corn and cake, hay and roots. 



Five days later, on 20th October, the butter in all cases gave normal figures, showing 

 'the immediate effect of the warm stabling and good dry feeding in increasing the 

 proportion of volatile acids and in reducing the refraction. 



The conclusion arrived at is, therefore, that " exposure to cold 

 •weather and feeding on cold, wet, poor grass, produces high 

 refraction and low content of volatile acids in the butter-fat. 



