Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-11-12
Per Centage Of Milk ana Butter from
Special Feeding.

Eastern Breeder has very sensible
article in the Practical Farmer, de-
failing the result of his experiments
in feeding meal to increase the per-
centage of butter in milk. He says:
Gin expressing the opinion that very
little, if anything, can be done in
changing the percentage of butter in
milk by feed, | am sustained, first, by
the authorities, and second, by the re-
suit of my own experiments. If we
can increase the percentage OF butter
in certain cows milk by feeding
largely with corn meal, l would in
quirc how it is that quite as much
butter can be made from the milk of
fresh COW in June, when she is III
good pasture, as can be done in JAN
uary, when the feed is hay and corn
meal. TRIED the experiment in June,
and the COW gave thirty-two pounds
of milk per day, 224 pounds in seven
days, and made ten and one-quarter
pounds of butter on pasture alone
When this COW was fed two quarts of
corn meal morning and evening, in
addition to the pasture, the quantity
of milk was increased to thirty-six
pounds per day, 252 pounds in seven
days, and making twelve pounds of
butter. The quantity of milk and
butter we're both increased, but the
percentage Of butter in the milk was
not.
"Again, in trials to ascertain the
percentage of butter or the compare
tive richness of different cows milk
made during the winter, when the
cows were fed corn neal have
found the percentage of butter no
greater than in summer, When the
cows were i'll pasture. | have OBJ
tanned from four to GA per cent. OF
butter from 100 ounds Of milk from
the same cows during the summer,
when their feed was nothing but
grass, and during the winter when
they had all the good hay they would
eat and eight quarts OF corn meal per
day. l do not think corn meal will
increase the percentage Of butter in
milk over good grass Gall the condi-
tons of the corn to be cquaD, and if
that will not do, what will? Coarse
refuse food will make the quantity of
butter less and the quality less good.
What has the quality of butter to do
with the percentage? Increasing or
diminishing the quantity does not
necessarily affect the quality-as l
understand it. Good feed, no doubt,
increases the quantity and improves
the quality, while poor feed diminish
es the quantity and Injuries the quality.
Still, l do not see what quality of
butter has to do with its percentage
or how special feeding increases it."
Thus it will be seen that the feed
ing of corn meal, when the COW was
at pasture in June, did not pay very
well; for four quarts of meal per day,
or twenty-eight quarts per week, cost
ing not far from 81, made only TWEEN
ty-eight pounds of milk. If we con
vert this milk into cheese it will be
represented by two and three-tourths
pounds, which, at twelve cents per
pound, amounts to thirty-two cents.
This corresponds with the experience
Of Herklmer County, that it does not
pay to feed mich cows corn meal or
other concentrated food, where the
cows are getting an abundance of
nutritious grass in pasturage. The
time to feed is when pastures begin
to deteriorate or fall off in quality or
quantity. Mich COWS should at all
times have an abundance of nutritious
food, but all extra feeding above this
will generally be found to be poor
economy, so far as the milk product
is concerned.