UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DEPARTMENT BULLETIN No. 1342 
Washington, D. C. 
July, 1S25 
EFFECT OF FEEDING GREEN RYE AND GREEN COWPEAS ON THE FLAVOR 
AND ODOR OF MILK 
By C. J. Babcock, Assistant Market Milk Specialist, Bureau of Dairying 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Experimental feeding of green rye 2 
Procedure 2 
Feeding 15 pounds one hour be- 
fore milking 4 
Feeding 30 pounds one hour be- 
fore milking — 4 
Feeding 30 pounds immediately 
after milking 5 
Experimental feeding of green cow- 
peas 5 
Pago 
Experimental feeding of green cow- 
peas — Continued. 
Procedure 5 
Feeding 15 pounds one hour be- 
fore milking 6 
Feeding 30 pounds one hour be- 
fore milking 7 
Feeding 30 pounds immediately 
after milking 7 
Conclusions 8 
Although silage furnishes a satisfactory feed to supplement short 
summer pasture, there are cases where so few cows are kept that they 
can not consume the silage fast enough to prevent its spoiling, or 
silage may not be available. Under these conditions the wise dairy- 
man will provide a well-planned succession of soiling crops to 
keep up the milk flow when pastures are scanty. Where the climate 
is favorable, rye and cowpeas are well adapted to fit into the suc- 
cession of soiling crops. 
Like other succulent feeds,^ green r^^e and green cowpeas may 
have a tendency to impart undesirable flavors and odors to the milk. 
In order to determine whether such flavors and odors are imparted 
to the milk, feeding experiments were conducted by the Bureau of 
Dairjdng at its experiment farm at Beltsville, Md.^ The specific 
objects of the investigation were (1) to determine whether feeding 
^ The effects of silage, green alfalfa, green corn, turnips, cabbage, potatoes, and garlie 
have been studied and reported in U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletins No. 1097, 
" The Effect of Silage on the Flavor and Odor of Milk " ; No. 1190, " The Effect of 
Feeding Green Alfalfa and Green Com on the Flavor and Odor of Milk " ; No. 1208, 
" Effect, of Feeding Turnips on the Flavor and Odor of Milk " ; No. 1297, " Effect of 
Feeding Cabbage and Potatoes on the Flavor and Odor of Milk " ; and No. 1326, " Effect 
of Garlic on the Flavor and Odor of Milk." 
- The writer acknowledges the assistance of T. E. Woodward, In charge of tlie Dairy 
Experiment Farm. Beltsville, Md., and James L. Gordon, herdsman, who supervised the 
experimental work at the farm. 
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