272 
INFLUENCE OF TIME IN MILKING. 
It is commonly supposed that the milk produced by cows in 
the morning is larger in quantity and poorer in quality than the 
milk produced in the evening. 
This fact is due to the longer period which elapses between 
night and morning milking, and the shorter period between 
morning and night. It has been shown, however, that as the 
periods between the milkings approximate in length, so does the 
milk approximate in quantity and quality. In a public test niade 
by a public authority ten cows were divided into two lots of five, 
and specially milked for eighteen days. Five cows were milked 
at 8 a. m. and 4 p. m., and five at 6 a. m. and 6 p. m. 
The result was precisely what is usual. The cows milked 
twelve hours apart gave nine pints of milk daily more than those 
which were milked at varied intervals. Again, the milk produced 
after regular intervals was richer than the morning's milk pro- 
duced at unequal intervals, for it contained 4 per cent, of fat, as 
against 3.6 per cent., and was therefore 1 per cent, above the 
standard. 
If the same results were obtained in general practice, the ques- 
tion of the standard would be settled once for all, for it would 
remain entirely in the hands of the owners of the cows, although 
they would probably complain that business necessitated milking 
at unequal periods. 
Naturally, the milk of the evening was the richest. We refer 
to that drawn at four o'clock, for, speaking roundly, the shorter 
the interval after the morning's milk the richer the milk. In 
both cases, however, the solids other than the fat of the milk 
were practically identical. 
The results, which simply confirm many similar experiments 
in the past, are much too important to be put to one side. They 
plainly show that the objects of those who are constantly agi- 
tating against the milk standard of 3 per cent, of fat are un- 
warranted. 
If men insist upon milking cows with a long interval and a 
short interval, instead of at equal intervals, they must expect 
difficulties to arise. 
For instance, if cows are milked at six in the morning and 
two or three in the afternoon, the latter milk will be rich, and 
the former systematically poor by comparison. 
The consequence is that on occasion the morning's milk may 
be sampled and condemned, and the standard also condemned, 
but in this case by the owner of the cows or the milkman who 
sells the milk. 
Our contention is that under normal conditions healthy herds 
never produce milk containing .less than 3 per cent, of fat. If 
cows were milked twelve hours apart, the quality would rise in 
