Concentrated Foods and Milk. 



483 



that continued feeding with large quantities of this 

 article would bring about disturbances of the heart and 

 kidneys. 



Poppyseed cake is stated to have reduced the fat-contents 

 of the milk, and it proved to be generally less valuable as a 

 milk-producing ration than the other special foods used in the 

 experiments. 



The earlier experiments at Poppelsdorf were carried out in 

 the winter of 1894-95, under the direction of Dr. Ramm. In 

 his report upon the results. Dr. Ramm points out that while 

 every concentrated food may have a certain effect upon the 

 secretion of milk, this effect depends very much upon the 

 individual characteristics of the animal, a.nd that it frequently 

 happens that the same fodder will produce opposite results in 

 different animals. Making allowance for this feature, he 

 classifies the foods into three classes according to their effect 

 upon the secretion of milk. 



In the first class, or those which exercise a decidedly 

 favourable influence, are the following : molasses and palm- 

 nut cake mixed, bruised barley, malt sprouts, linseed meal, 

 bruised maize and wheat pollards mixed, and bruised oats* 

 The mixture of molasses and palm-nut meal was placed first 

 among the fodders influencing the richness of the milk in fat, 

 but it did not effect any material increase in the live weight 

 of the cows ; and attention may be directed in this connec- 

 tion to Dr. Hagermann's remarks as to the physiological 

 disturbances likely to arise from continued feeding with 

 molasses. The bruised barley produced a marked increase 

 in the flow of milk with a satisfactory percentage of fat- 

 contents ; the live weight of the animal did not, however, 

 show much increase with this ration. Malt sprouts appeared 

 to reduce the yield of milk, but in other respects this fodder 

 furnished satisfactory returns. Wheat pollards produced 

 over average returns in all respects. Maize, oats, and 

 linseed meal increased the yield of milk, but the percentage 

 of fat-contents was not quite satisfactory. 



Foods w^hich are stated by Dr. Ramm to have exercised a 

 distinctly unfavourable influence on the secretion of milk 

 include cocoanut cake, poppyseed cake, sunflower-seed cake, 



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