The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-03

OuJ luCTtdSluR Jn6 uuduUlJy VI uoI Inuh'
Or, in other words, that the compost
ton of each cows milk, under normal
conditions, is practically invariable.
This was the result of long and careful
personal observations, without the use
of what would be called scientific tests,
though not without weighing and
measuring. Professor Cooke made a
similar statement at the Burlington
meeting. 1t has been questioned by a
writer in the Homestead, and Professor
Cooke replies thus: "Now as to the
effect of the change of feed on the
character of the milk, the question
comes most often in such statement
as this: i was feeding my cow on
certain quality of hay and grain ration
consisting of bran and corn-meal. So
far as l could see the ration was of
good quality and amply sufficient for
the wants of the animal | added to
that ration certain amount of cotton
seed meal, and obtained not only a
larger quantity of milk, but the increase
of butter was more than proportional
to the increase of milk. In other words,
it took less pounds of milk to make a
pound of butter after the use of cotton
seed than before This and similar
statements are only other ways of say
ing that change in the grain ration
produces a change in the per cent of
fat in the milk This is the thing
which farmers thoroughly believe, and
ings is not fact. And / think the
statement given at the beginning of
this paper explains the real cause for
such general incorrect belief, as GER
tainly does exist among farmers. They
have found an actual increase or de-
crease in the butter ready for market,
and are led to infer that the per cent
of fat in the milk has been changed
When | say that this change of grain
ration has not produced change in the
per cent of fat in the milk, / do not
wish to be understood as saying that it
may not produce such a change for
milking or two if the change of feed is
made suddenly. What l do claim is
this: that if you ascertain the average
composition of the milk for two weeks
previous to the change, then allow
week for the system of the animal to
get accustomed to the new feed, and
then take the average composition of
the milk for another two weeks, the
percentage of fat obtained in the first
case and the second will be practically
identical"
Professor Cooke allows one excep-
ton to this rule, as follows: When
the cows are turned out in the spring
from the dry feed in the barn to the
succulent feed of the young grass in
the pasture there is always an increase
in the quantity of the milk and de-
crease in the quality. This succulent,
nutritious grass seems to have such a
powerful effect on the secretory organs
of the COW as TO cause her to produce
a larger amount of milk than her sys-
tenn can supply with the usual per-
centage of fat, and the consequence is
that the milk is more watery-that is,
it contains smaller percentage of fat,
and more pounds of it are required to
make pound of butter"
He also remarks that another
change in the character of the milk
comes on in all COWS without regard to
feed. There is gradual decrease of
water and increase of fat and other
solids of the milk from the time of the
commencement of the milk flow to its
end-that is, there is constant in
crease in the richness of the milk dur
ing the whole of the milking period
and the milk will actually increase in
its percentage of fat, no matter wha
the feed may be-"