The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-07-30
restinr rne MIX

j.
G. NJ. s.. Carthage, s. D. writes:
There has been soma controversy here
this spring in regard to the test Of milk.
Some claim 1t depends wholly on the
richness of the feed. others claim that
the test does not change during the
milking season. One OF my neiR hbOrs
says that the same cows he milked last
winter receive the same amount aud
kind of feed they had last winter. but
there is shortage Of more than one per
cent OF fat. The creamery IL run by a
different buttermaker this winter than
last. We would like Prof HenIy's opin-.
ion"
Jn my book on "Feods and Feed ng"
| have devoted nearly a chapter to this
important and exceedingly interesting
question. 1t is almost impossible to
discuss the subject in satisfactory
manner in tho brief space here allowed
me for matters Of this kind. In brief
will say that it is now pretty we'll proved
that the percentage of fat in cows
milk depends upon tho animal and not
upon the feed. This stands as general
proposition, and seems reasonable when
we reflect upon the purpose Of milk in
nature. II milk varied from season to
season and from day to day. according to
the feed Of the animal, the life Of the
young would be constantly ENDANGERED
BY such changes.
At our experiment stations all sorts
of experiments have been tried for the
purpose of changing the tat percentage
In the milk. At the Cornell Station, for.
example, COWS we're fed tallow until
they consumed two pounds per head
daily for weeks at a time. At tile New
Hampshire Station various other oils
were fed. At the Ontario Agricultural
College cows were fed on straw for a
time, while Others were getting great
deal of oil-meal and othes rich feeding
stuffs, At the New York Station, Ge-
neya, a COW was given feed from which
all the oil had been extracted. Ofton
when conducting these experiments
there was change OF two or three
tenths Of per cent in the fat percent
age in the milk, but the change was
only for a few days at the most, and
then the milk returns to its normal, re-
gardless Of the character OF the feed
given. The change is believed by many
investigators who have carefully con-
sidered the subject 10 due to nervous
influences or to the unusual character
of the feeds experimanted with rather
than to the effects Of the feed from a
nutritlye standpoint. While some COWS
may change temporarily the amount Of
fat in their milk no one has been able
to ge. anything like uniform results
from herds OF cattle by changing the
character Of the food given.
The quantity Of milk which COW
gives, and so indirectly the total guam
tity OF fat Which she Yields. is greatly
influenced by the quantity and charac-
ter Of the food given. This all will con-
cede. A COW kept on a strawstack diet
may even give richer milk than where
fed a nutritious, well-balanced ration,
but Of course she will give very little
milk and will soon dry up if Continued
OH the straWstack ration. In these par.
ticulars the COW may be compared to an
apple tree which produces fruit of 9
certain quality and characteristics re-
gardless OF the fertility or nourishment
afforded it. II q Northern Spy apple
tree, for instance, is poorly nourished by
being planted IL barren soil or having
i fertility withheld from it it will produce
Northern Spy apples, though they ma!
be small and few in number. II tn,
tree is we'll nurtured as to fertility ant
other favorable conditions it may yielt
abundantly, but the fruit is still North
ern Spy fruit. No one would hope t,
produce Tallman sweet apples on
Northern Spy apple by or through an!
fertilizers which he might supply tn
tree.