Production of Butter. 



29 



evening she was removed into a warm, well littered stall, where 

 the warmth thus communicated was equivalent to a certain amount 

 of food : hence we find that the milk of the morning was con- 

 siderably richer in butter. Besides the warmth of the shed, less 

 butter is consumed by the oxygen of the air. In the stall, the 

 respirations of an animal are much less frequent than in the field, 

 and consequently less oxygen enters into its system. Hence it is 

 a practice to milk those cows in the field that are distant from 

 home, and to drive home to be milked only such cows as are 

 close to the shed. The exercise required in walking home causes 

 an increased play of the respiratory system, and therefore in- 

 creases the amount of oxygen inhaled. This oxygen unites with 

 part of the butter and consumes it ; all good dairymen allow the 

 cows to walk home at their own pace, and never accelerate it. 

 When a cov/ is harassed, and runs to escape from the annoyance, 

 her milk becomes very much heated, diminishes in volume and in 

 richness, and speedily becomes sour. This is a fact well known 

 to all dairymen. During running, the cow inhales a large quan- 

 tity of oxygen; this unites with the butter, the heat evolved 

 by its combustion elevates the temperature of the milk, and acetous 

 fermentation being induced, the milk thus becomes sensibly 

 sour. 



The view here taken of the production of butter^ from the amy- 

 laceous and other unazotised portions of the food, is supported 

 by the increased amount of butter yielded, after being partially 

 fed upon potatoes. The quantity of casein in the milk appears 

 also to be intimately connected with the nature of the food, being 

 more abundant when supplied with bean and oatmeal ; and would 

 justify the conclusion that within certain limits the quality of 

 milk may be made to vary in its composition, by regulating the 

 food of the animal. 



As the preceding experiments may be looked upon as being on 

 too limited a scale to draw a just general conclusion, I will here 

 insert what was pointed out to me as a remarkable instance in 

 practical dairy management, in the county of Chester, which is 

 strongly confirmatory of the previous views : — 



It has been remarked in Cheshire, and I believe in other ex- 

 tensive cheese districts, that it is impossible to make cheese of 

 the first quality from milk obtained from cows fed upon tares 

 and clover ; notwithstanding which, I had pointed out to me a 

 farm where the whole of the cows were fed, almost exclusively 

 during the summer, on tares and clover, the entire produce of 

 which dairy was converted into cheese, and that of a quality so 

 excellent, that it always obtained the highest price from the 

 London dealers at the Chester cheese fairs. The circumstance 

 was related to me as an illustration of what could be accomplished 



