There appears, then, in this supply of food, .59 lbs. oil and 4.36 lbs. starch for the production of .75 in the butter from 13 quarts per day, the cow’s greatest yield. At the time the milk was tested, aftermath hay was substituted for first-crop hay, in equal quantity. This, it will be observed, is decidedly richer in oil. Her produce had lessened to 10 quarts per day; her production of butter was 10.50 oz. per day, or of pure oil about 9 oz.; for the supply of oil the aftermath hay alone would be much more than adequate.

On examining the adequacy of the food for the supply of albumen for the caseine,

  lbs.
I find this to be, 3.08
I assume that in 120 lbs. of turnips, as required for maintenance, in a normal state, 1.98
  1.10

Which, according to Haidlen’s analysis, will be adequate to the supply of 8.60 quarts per day. The supply of mineral substances is in excess.

The cow, under this treatment, gave,

Soon after calving, fully 13   quarts per day.
Five weeks after calving, 11 1⁄4 “ “ “
In less than 8 weeks after calving, 9   “ “ “

And with this there occurred also a loss of weight.

We find this cow supplied with food amply rich in every element suited to her wants and purposes, with the exception of the nitrogenous principle only, lowering her condition, and likewise her yield of milk, till it approaches a quantity for which her food enables her to supply a due proportion of caseine.

About the 20th of April, the cow’s yield being reduced to 9 quarts per day, her food was changed to steamed mixture. Soon after this her yield increased to 11 quarts per day. Her weight, April 28th, 9 cwt.; May 16th, 9 cwt. 14 lbs. yield of milk, 11 quarts.

I now introduce the dairy statistics of Mr. Alcock, of Aireville, Skipton, who has for some time been practising my method of treatment, with such modifications as are suited to his circumstances.

During the winter season, Mr. Alcock’s food consisted of mangold, of which he gave 20 lbs. per day to each, uncooked, together with steamed food ad libitum, consisting of wheat and bean straw, and shells of oats.

Carob bean and Indian meal, for each, 3   lbs. per day
Bran and malt-combs, 1   “ “ “
Bean-meal, 3 1⁄2 “ “ “
Rape-cake,[5] 3   “ “ “
Of extra food, 11 1⁄4  

[5] The rape-cake used by Mr. Alcock was of foreign manufacture, evidently rich in oil, but containing mustard, and on this account supplied in less proportion.

From March 19, when his store of mangold was exhausted, he increased his supply of Indian meal to 4 lbs. per day, and omitted the carob bean.

During the month of January, Mr. Alcock obtained from 759 quarts of milk 1323 oz. of butter, being from each 16 quarts 265⁄8 oz.; during February and March, from 7368 quarts of milk 12,453 oz. of butter, or from each 16 quarts fully 27 oz.: so that rather less than 91⁄2 quarts of milk have produced 16 oz. of butter. The average produce from each quart of cream was 201⁄2 oz.

Mr. Alcock fattens his cows whilst giving milk, and sells them whilst giving 4 to 6 quarts per day. He quite agrees with me that it is far more profitable to buy far-milked cows for fattening; and obtains, from a change to his food, 2 to 3 quarts per day more than the cow had given previously.

Though Mr. Alcock’s cream is not so rich as what I have described on pp. 377 and 378, it is more than ordinarily so. His mode of separating his milk from his cream differs from my own, his milk being set up in leaden vessels, from which, on the cream being formed, the old milk is drawn, by taking a plug from a hollow tube, with perforated holes in the centre of the vessel. To this difference I am disposed in some degree to attribute the less richness of Mr. Alcock’s cream. On examining, the cream with a spoon, after the dairy-keeper had drawn off the milk, I observed some portion of milk, which would have escaped through my perforated skimmer.

Mr. Alcock’s proportion of butter from milk, which is the matter of practical importance, is greater than what I have shown on a preceding page, being from each 16 quarts of milk 27 oz. of butter.

Quality of Butter.

—In January, 1857, samples of about 56 oz. each, of butter of my own, and also of Mr. Alcock’s, were sent to the laboratory of Messrs. Price & Co.’s candle-works, at Belmont.

My butter was found to consist of (taking the pure fat only),

Hard fat, mostly margarine, fusible at 950°,  45.9
Liquid, or oleine,  54.1
  100.0

Mr. Alcock’s,

Hard fat, mostly margarine, fusible at 10°,  36.0
Liquid, or oleine,  64.0
  100.0

For these analyses of butter the agricultural public is indebted to the good offices of Mr. George Wilson, director of Messrs. Price & Co.’s manufactory. It will be observed that Mr. Alcock’s milk is richer in butter and that his butter is also richer in proportion of oleine to margarine than my own.

Professor Thompson (“Elements of Agricultural Chemistry,” 6th edition, p. 317) states that winter butter consists more of solid, and summer more of liquid or oleine fat.

An analysis of butter made in Vosges gives:

  Summer. Winter.
Solid or margarine fat,  40  65
Liquid (or oleine) fat,  60  35
  100 100

In Lehmann’s “Physiological Chemistry” (Leipsic edition, vol. ii., p. 329), an analysis of butter by Bromus gives:

Margarine, 68
Oleine, 30
Special butter-oil, 2
  100

It will be observed that my butter may be classed as summer butter, and that Mr. Alcock’s is the richest in the proportion of oleine. Both were produced in the month of January.

These results are important, and completely establish the conclusion I had previously formed, that the quantity and quality of butter depend essentially on the food and treatment; and that by suitable means you can produce as much and as rich butter in winter as in summer.

INDEX.