Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-06-06
MILLIONS IN SKIM MILK.
Dairy Products of Enormous
Value, but Farmers Are Not
Making Most of Them.
by w. MILTON REILLY.

of Agriculture, and this is a very con-
sentative estimate. The item of dairy
products. you can readily see, is one
of vast Importance and is well worthy
of our careful attention and study.
Skim milk is by far the most impor-
tant by-product from the dairy and the
best adapted to varied and profitable
uses. Skim milk as a human food is
unappreciated by most farmers, but
it has been tested under various con-
ditions by food experts and has proven
a useful portion Of an everyday diet
for many people. The use of skim
milk ought to be encouraged and would
result in finding city markets for
large amount of this valuable by-prod-
uct.
A report from one of our leading col
leges contains the following: Skim
milk has all the protein and half of
the full value of the whole milk and
is in most localities the most econom-
ical source of animal protein The food
elements in skim milk are equal in
physiological value to those of meats
and are far less expensive.
AS an article to substitute for water
in the preparation of various dishes, as
well as for others that are made main
decided gain in food value. In making
bread skim milk will add to the weight
and nutritive value of the loaf Used
in place of water sufficient flour may
be saved to pay for the milk and yet
produce loaf of equal weight and of
more actual food value. Milk bread is
richer in fatty matter and superior in
flesh forming elements, which is sci
entifically explained as being due to
the casein of milk being incorporated
with the fibrin of the flour.
The sale of skim milk to bakers and
confectioners should be encouraged and
Is capable Of being largely increased.
Used in this manner it may be made
to net the consumer 81 per cwt, or
more than a large per cent of the
farmers and dairymen realize for their
whole milk.
AS a food for domestic animals skim
milk occupies the most conspicuous
position of any foodstuff. especially as
a feed for young and growing animals.
The facts which seem to have been
proven by the various experiments are
as follows:
1. Skim milk gives the best returns
when fed to very young animals, con1
shutting the larger part of their RAJ
tons.
2. 1t is next best for animals making
rapid growth, but which need other
feed than milk, mainly of carbona-
ceous nature.
8. Except for very young animals
skim milk gives the best returns when
used in combination with other foods,
generally grains.
A. No class Of live stock will give
larger returns for skim milk than
poultry of various kinds.
At the New York experiment station
chickens were grown successfully on
a diet composed mainly of skim milk,
although they were allowed run of
the fields during the time when they
were being fed this ration. 1t was
estimated that at the best, after al
lowing from % to so cents per cwt for
the skim milk and some other feed in
proportion the cost of producing one
pound of live weight was less than 6
cents at the time when the birds
weighed three pounds.
During this time the milk was fed
sweet, but it has been found equally
satisfactory when fed thick and lop-
pered, and the waste is less in the lat
ter form. Many Of the most practical
feeders believe that skim milk is
worth from 90 cents to 81 when fed
to turkeys and poultry.
If premium were offered for the
most rapid gains in pig feeding, my
opinion would be that some man
skilled in feeding skim milk with other
foods would carry off the prize Pro-
lessor Henry of Wisconsin, without
doubt the highest living authority in
says the following regarding the value
of skim milk as food for swine:
"Skim milk has value as a feed for
stockmen that is higher than merely
serving as a substitute for grain All
of the constituents of milk are digesti-
bic and this valuable by-product of the
creamery is rich in bone and blood
building constituents"
The writer held experiments in which
milk and other feeds were fed to pigs
for the purpose of ascertaining the eff
feet of these feeds on the muscle anC
bone of the hogs. 1t was found by ac-
tually testing the bones that milk made
The strongest bones of any feed tina,
was fed.
Authorities seem to differ as to the
merits of sweet and sour milk as
feed for swine, but my experience con
yinces me that either is desirable, bu
the sudden change from sweet to SOU
and from sour to sweet must be avoid
ed in feeding any kind of domestic ami
mails.
Calves appear to be the next in favo
as profitable consumers of skim milk
and some feeders appear to think tina
they can feed their skim milk to calve
and derive more profits from it thai
feeding it to swine, but this depend
10 large extent upon the good quail
ties of the animals that are being fec
In feeding skim milk to calves
cents worth of oilmeal will take tn
place of a pound of butter fat tina
has been removed from the milk. Be
sides when the milk is fed warm fror
the separator it is better for the calve
.han milk that is cold and sour.
A young animal that is fed on Skin
milk with mill feed or grains may /
made to weigh almost as much as or
of similar breeding and fed on who
milk with the same kind of grains
i year of age.