CAUSES OF VARIATION IN TEST OF MILK.
(By Professor,E. H. Farrington, Wisconsin Dairy School, U.S.A.)
The variation in the test of a cow's milk from day to day is influenced by at least ten different things : 1., The natural disposition of a cow. If she has a quiet,c even temperament, her milk will test about the same per cent, fat from day to clay,; while, on the other hand, i-f she is nervous and easily excited, the per cent, of fat wall change from one. milking to another, in some cases as much as one per cent. 2. The breed of the cow has some influence on the test: of her milk. As a rule the Guernsey and Jersey milk is richer than that of the Ayrshire and milking Shorthorn. 3. The period of lactation. Most cows gave the thinnest milk when the flow is the largest, or a few ,weeks after the cow is fresh, the test gradually increasing until the time when she is a stripper. There is, however, some difference in cows regarding this increase in test as the milking period . advances. Some cows do not give much richer milk wheri they are drying up, while with others the per cent, of fat often doubles during the latter part of the milking period. 4. Tha influence of feed: on the test of a cow's milk is usually only temporary. A ■ sudden change of feed, which disturbs a cow's digestion, may have a very marked effect on the per cent, of fat in her milk; otherwise the increase or decrease in feed affects the quantity of milk only. 5. The v surroundings under which a cow is kept may have a great effact o» the test of her milk. Protection from rough weather will have a ten j dency to help the milk production and ?.:eep the test cf the milk uniform, while rough treatment and exposure to sudden extremes of temperature may cause the test to vary grsatly. 6. The kind of milking, such as irregular milking, milking fast or slow, etc., has a great effect on the test of a cow's milk. Every cow should be milked in a uniform and quiet way, as this helps her to produce thq maximum quantity arid to keep the quality about uniform. 7. Intervals between milking. The longer the time between milkings the thinner the ni'ilk, and the effect which this has on the production of milk by cows is so great that some dairymen milk their cows "by the watch"—that is, at exactly the same minute both morning and night;
8. The treatment of the cow during milking and at other times has a great effect on the test of her milk.
9. Sickness. If a cow is '"off her feed" and her temperature rnses, the test of milk in almost every case may increase, while the quantity decreases.
10. Change of milkers. This is one of the most 'important factors in getting a uniform amount of richness of nmlk from cows. Any change of milkers is noticed immediately by a cow, and the effect is often very striking. All these factors have an influence on the milk production, and the extent to which they will effect the test of a cow's milk will depend very largely on the sensitiveness and the nervous disposition of each particular cow.
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King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 690, 29 July 1914, Page 7
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560CAUSES OF VARIATION IN TEST OF MILK. King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 690, 29 July 1914, Page 7
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