The condition of the nursing cow and her milk is another potent cause of trouble. The feed of the cow is important. The influence of this is shown in the following tables:
| Character of feed. | Water. | Casein and extractive matter. | Milk sugar. | Butter. | Salts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cows on winter feed: | Parts in 1,000 | Parts in 1,000 | Parts in 1,000 | Parts in 1,000 | Parts in 1,000 |
| Trefoil or lucern, 12-13 pounds; oat straw, 9-10 pounds; beets, 7 pounds; water, 2 buckets | 871.26 | 47.81 | 33.47 | 42.07 | 5.34 |
| Cows on summer feed: | |||||
| Green trefoil, lucern, maize, barley, grass, 2
buckets water | 859.56 | 54.70 | 36.38 | 42.76 | 6.80 |
| Goat's milk on different feed: | |||||
| On straw and trefoil | 858.68 | 47.38 | 35.47 | 52.54 | 5.93 |
| On beets | 888.77 | 33.81 | 38.02 | 33.68 | 5.72 |
| Normal mean | 844.90 | 35.14 | 36.90 | 56.87 | 6.18 |
In these examples the deterioration of the milk in casein on the less nutritious winter feeding is very marked, although the relative quantity of butter remains almost unchanged. In the case of the goat the result is even more striking, the beet diet giving a very large decrease of both casein and butter and an increase of milk sugar.
The second table following, condensed from the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin, gives the results in butter and total solids when the same cows were fed on different rations in succession. Each cow was fed a daily ration of 12 pounds corn fodder and 4 pounds clover hay, besides the test diet of (1) 12¼ pounds corn-and-cob meal, and (2) 10 pounds sugar meal—a product of the glocuse manufacture. This special feed was given seven days before the commencement of each test period to obviate the effects of transition. The analyses of the special rations are given below:
| Constituents. | Corn-and-cob meal. | Sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Per cent. | Per cent. | |
| Moisture | 13.37 | 6.10 |
| Salts | 1.43 | 1.17 |
| Fat | 2.81 | 11.16 |
| Carbohydrates (heat formers). | 65.99 | 52.66 |
| Woody fiber | 8.03 | 8.64 |
| Proteids (flesh formers) | 8.37 | 20.27 |
The great excess of fat and nitrogenous or flesh-forming principles in the sugar meal is very evident.
| Animal. | Milk. | Fat. | Solids. | Fat. | Solids. | Ratio of fat to solids not fat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade Shorthorn cow: | Pounds | P. ct. | Per ct. | Pounds | Pounds | |
| First period, 21 days, corn-and-cob meal | 631.25 | 3.43 | 11.57 | 21.67 | 73.02 | 422.0:1,000 |
| Second period, 21 days, sugar meal | 641.50 | 4.04 | 12.53 | 25.93 | 83.38 | 476.2:1,000 |
| Third period, 21 days, corn-and-cob meal | 559.00 | 3.22 | 11.86 | 17.97 | 66.32 | 371.7:1,000 |
| Grade Shorthorn cow: | ||||||
| First period, 21 days, corn-and-cob meal | 604.75 | 3.57 | 11.95 | 21.56 | 72.28 | 425.1:1,000 |
| Second period, 21 days, sugar meal | 582.00 | 3.91 | 12.37 | 22.74 | 72.57 | 456.3:1,000 |
| Third period, 21 days, corn-and-cob meal | 527.00 | 3.37 | 12.05 | 17.78 | 63.48 | 389.1:1,000 |
| Grade Shorthorn cow: | ||||||
| First period, 21 days, sugar meal | 753.50 | 3.97 | 12.43 | 29.94 | 93.67 | 469.8:1,000 |
| Second period, 21 days, corn-and-cob meal | 601.50 | 3.15 | 11.45 | 18.97 | 68.89 | 380.0:1,000 |
| Third period, 21 days, sugar meal | 560.50 | 3.85 | 12.16 | 21.58 | 68.16 | 463.3:1,000 |
| Grade Holstein cow: | ||||||
| First period, 21 days, sugar meal | 487.50 | 4.15 | 13.27 | 20.25 | 64.69 | 455.6:1,000 |
| Second period, 21 days, corn-and-cob meal | 379.00 | 3.51 | 12.69 | 13.30 | 48.09 | 382.3:1,000 |
| Third period, 21 days, sugar meal | 374.50 | 3.72 | 13.01 | 13.95 | 48.74 | 401.0:1,000 |
Here we see in every instance a marked relative increase of the butter, and to a less extent of the other milk solids whenever the sugar meal—rich in fat and albuminoids—was furnished. The opposite theory having been largely taught, it becomes needful thus to sustain the old and well-founded belief of the dairymen.