The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-08-30

variations III quantity ana Ouality oI MIX.
A full record has been kept at the sta
ton of the milk of each COW year after
year, and many thousand analyses made.
The voluminous records now on file fur
nish abundant data for determining the
changes that take place in the quantity
and quality Of the milk of COW and
the influence that various circumstances
have on the quantity and quality.
a study of these records leads to the
following conclusions:
First-All COWS shrink in quantity of milk as
they get furtll from calving. If they are fa-
row, this shrnkage in quantity is accompa-
MED by almos, no change in quality, even un-
til they go dry, provided they are still farrow.
If they are in calf, the milk increases in quail
ity as il decreases in quantity. This Increase
Is slight-but one-twentieth during the first
six months after calving-but becomes quite
pronounced Just before the COW goes dry.
Second-CoWs that Calvc in the spring aver
age giving more milk during the first three
months after CNlvng than those that calvc in
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.
Thrd-Thc milk of II COW for the first few
days or weeks after calving is very variable in
quality. On the average it is thinnest just
after calving, becomes slightly richer during
the next two weeks and then holds almost
uniform in quality for the next four or five
months.
Fourth-C Cows vary in the quality of their
milk from one milking to the next and from
day to day, the quality rising and falling with
out apparent cause, Such changes are usually
within per cent of fat. though COW was
known to change 26S per cent in two days.
The least change of any of the cows in the sta
ton herd during an entire period of lactation
is 0.33 per cent fat, the average change is l.U
per cent, and the greatest change 2.iS per cent.
The largest variation in yield of butter is from
milk that required 20 pounds to make pound
of butter to quality of milk which would re-
quire but H. poun6s 1t is probably possible
that cases may occur of 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 lib
per cent, the greatest change being 235 per
cent and the least 0.49 per cent. The average
change in solids not fat is fall of 0.47 per
cent, with variations from a decrease of l.Gt
to an increase of 042 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.
eraI tendency for the milk to become either
richer or poorer as the COW grows older.
Seventh-FrOm one calving to the next cows
may be expected to vary the general quality of
their milk not much more than a sixth of per
cent fat and scarcely ever will show varia-
ton of more than a quarter of per cent.
Eighth-The milk of a heifer tends to agree
very closely in quality to that of her dam. The
average vara ion is a 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 for
any dairyman's not knowing the quality of the
milk of each one of his cows If 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
will seldom be a difference of as much as a
quarter of per cent of fat.
Tenth-If it is desired to know from tests
nearer together what quality of milk a COW
gives, very accurate results will be obtained by
making two tests ID days apart, four months
after the COW calves, each test being on
mixed sample of four days milk The average
of these two tests with one-eghth of per cent
of fat added is surprisingly near the truth for
the average quality of the years milk.
Eleventh-ln the long run, just about the
same results obtained whether COWS are
tested once a month or twice "A 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-Full feeding with grain at the
barn and while the COWS pasture pro-
duces a much larger flow of milk during April
and May and causes the flow to keep up con-
sideraby 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 Al per cent of fat, and would If
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 disnfecting with sulphur and a plen-
tiful use of l.udanum. There is nothing to
prove coaclusively that the treatment was the
cause of the cessation of the disease.
Sixtcenth-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 OF
about the same quality 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 abcu'
third of the full yield.
Record of the station Herd For 1899.
Careful and very complete records OF
the station herd We're kept during the
year 1892 and showed that the II regular
members of the herd averaged 49,
pounds of milk, of such quality as tC
make 3j1 pounds of butter each. The
records also showed that the herd con
tanned on the average 81 cows, and thai
these produced 1923 pounds of mill
apiece and 3S4 pounds of butter.
The best Ayrshire gave S,055 pounds
of milk and 345 pounds Of butter; thu
best three Holsteins, $50 pounds o
milk and 3s8 pounds of butter; the bes
three Jerseys, 7,130 pounds of milk an(
1879 pounds of butter. The best RECORD
of any COW in the herd within the yea
was Il, 224 pounds of milk and 500 pound
of butter.
Relative Value of IA Cow For Cheesemak
ing and Butter Making.
When the records of the various COW
in the station herd are compared as t.
the amount of butter and of cheese tina
rould be made from their milk, it i
found that if p pounds of cheese az
considered to be equal in market Yalu