Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-08-31
STATE AGRICULTURAL
EXPERIMENT STATION,
BURLINGTON, Vt, 1898.

2ulletin Nc. ss Newspaper Bulletin No. Il.
Annual REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR
PART IL.
Variations In Quantity and Quality of Milk
A full record has been kept at the sta
ton of the milk of each COW year aftel
year, and many thousand analyses made
The voluminous records now on file fur
nish abundant data for determining tn,
changes that take place in the quantity
and quality of the milk of COW ans
the influence that various circumstance:
have on the quantity and quality.
A study of these records leads to tn.
following conclusions:
First-All cows shrink in quantity of milk a.
they get further from calying. If they are far
row, this shrinkage in quantity is accompa
MED by almost no change in quality, even un.
til they go dry, provided they are still farrow
II they are in calf, the milk increases in quail
ity as il decreases in quantity. This increase
is slight-but one-twentieth Curing the frs
six months after calving-but becomes quite
pronounced Just before the COW goes dry.
Second-Cows that calve in the spring aver.
age giving more milk during the first three
months after calving than those that calve ir
the fall. For the seventh, eighth and ninth
months this is reversed. Fall cows show
smaller variations in the quality of the milk
than cows that calve in the spring.
Third-The milk of COW for the first few
days or weeks after calving is very variable in
quality. On the average il is thinnest just
after calying, becomes slightly richer during
the next two weeks and then holds almost
uniform in quality for the next four or five
months.
Fourth-Cows vary in the quality Of then
milk from one milking to the next and from
day 10 day. the quality rising and falling with.
out apparent cause. Such changes are usually
within per cent Of fat. though one COW was
known TO change 26a per cent IN two days
The least change of any Of the cows in the sta
ton herd during an entire period Of lactatior
is OBS per cent fat, the average change is 49,
per cent. and the greatest change 2fS per cent
The largest variation In yield Of butter is from
milk that required 20 pounds 70 make pourd
Of butter to a quality of milk which would he
quire but III pounds. IL is probably possible
that cases may occur of a doubling of the rich
ness of the milk during different times in the
same period Of lactation.
Fifth-Just after calving the milk is poorer
in fat and In solids not fat than just before the
cow went dry. The average drop in fat is J.
per cent, the greatest change being 2.S5 pei
cent and the least O.4a per cent. The average
change in solids not fat is fall of 0.47 pei
cent, with variations from a decrease of 1.9s
TO an increase of 0.42 per cent.
Sixth-Most cows give about the same quail.
ity of milk year after year, beginning with this
quality at the first calving. There is no gen.
eral tendency for the milk to become either
richer or poorer as the COW grows older.
Seventh-Fro one calving to the next cows
may be expected 10 vary the general quality OF
their milk not much more than a sixth OF pei
cent fat, and scarcely ever will show varia.
ton of more than quarter of per cent
Efrhf a.. Thn mill Of hai de to
very closely in quality 10 that of her dam. The
average variation is third of per cent of fat
and the greatest difference is per cent-in the
case of an Ayrshire COW crossed with Jersey
bull.
Ninth-The present cheap, rapid and easy
methods of testing cows leave no excuse foi
any dairyman's not knowing the quality of the
milk OF each one of his cows. II two tests are
made, each of mixed sample OF four days
milk, one being taken six weeks after the COW
calves and the other six months after calving
the average of these two tests will agree almost
exactly with the average quality Of the milk
given during the entire milking period. There
win seldom be difference of as much as
quarter of per cent of fat.
Tenth-lf IL is desired TO know from tests
nearer together what quality of milk COW
gives. very accurate results will be obtained by
making two tests Is da,s apart four months
after the COW calves. zach test being on
uiAeu luplt u IouI iillih. Inc dNNIhEt
of these two tests with one-eighth of per cent
of fat added is surprisingly near the truth fol
the average quality of the years milk.
Eleyenth-In the long run, just about the
same results are obtained whether cows are
tested once month or twice month.
Twelfth-Cows that have been properly fed
at the barn do not shrink in quality of milk
when turned to pasture. They usually increase
both in quality and quantity.
Thirteenth-Eull feeding with grain at tho
barn and while the cows are on pasture pro
duces much larger flow of milk during April
and May and causes the flow TO keep up con-
siderably later in the fall. No attempt was
made TO ascertain whether this increase was
sufficient TO pay for the extra grain.
Fourteenth-The milk produced by the cows
of Vermont during the entire year contains on
the average L. II per cent Of fat, and would II
rightly handled make pound of butter from
each - pounds of milk.
Fifteenth-The station herd was troubled
with abortion, and the trouble ceased after
thorough disinfecting with sulphur and a plen-
tiful use of laudanum. There is nothing e
prove conclusively that the treatment was the |
cause of the cessation of the disease.
Sixteenth--The most noticeable effect OF
abortion on the quality of the milk is to make
it richer than it would have been had the COW |
gone full time. This quality, however, falls |
during the first few months after abortion,
until by the third or fourth month it is -
about the same quality as would have been
given If the COW had calved naturally.
Seventeenth-The worst effect of abortion Is |
the decreased quantity of milk given, which
with the cows of the station amounts TO about
a third Of the full yield.
Record of the Station Herd For 1892.
Careful and very complete records of
the station herd were kept during the
year 1892 and showed that the II regular
members of the herd averaged 7,197 |
pounds of milk, of such quality as to
make 351 pounds of butter each. The
records also showed that the herd con-
tanned on the average 81 cows, and that
these produced 1923 pounds of milk
apiece and 3S4 pounds of butter
The best Ayrshire gave s,O55 pounds
of milk and 345 pounds of butter; the
best three Holsteins, $50 pounds of |
milk and 3sS pounds of butter; the best !
- L. l. nd