THE SOLIDS OF MILK.

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 8877, 2 January 1890, Page 7

THE SOLIDS OF MILK.

( Agricultural Gazette),

This is a subject which has been often written and spoken about, and one would almost think it was threadbare long ago, but there is always something fresh turning up. We may mention last week that Mr Babcock in America, and Mr Lloyds, P. C. S., at' home, bad shown that the variations in the solids of milk were almost entirely confined to the butter-fats, and we think this matter willl bear a little further discussion. It has hitherto been an article of the dairyman’s creed that the different constituents of the solid part of the milk had always a fixed ratio to one another, and that it was impossible to increase or decrease any one without likewise affecting tbe others by any means short of altering the constitutional peculiarities of the animal by breeding. Mr Lloyd has found as the result of tbe many samples of milk he has analysed for tbe milking competitions of the' British Dairy Fa'mers’ Association, and of all the different breeds exhibited, that it is not so, but that universally tbe solids not fat have kept at or near a fixed figure—varying very slightly—while the fat has bad a comparatively enormous range up and down. These facta were first made public at a lecture delivered by the' above gentlemen at the Daily Institute, and are now repeated in the Journal of the Association. He gives a diagram showing the yield in solids of the milk of fifteen Jerseys, audit is curious to note how the rise and fall of the total, solids exactly correspond with that of the.fat; of each sample. But . this is not all, for if we take the animals of each breed and compare them among themselves, we find that while there is a great variation in the total amounts, yet the solids, not fat, remain pretty constant, so that the difference between two samples of milk from animals of tbe same breed is confined to the butter yield alone, so that differences of food and treatment seem to affect the cream only, or mostly. As Mr Lloyd points oat, this is a matter f greatimportanoe to the dairy farmer, because it shows him that whatever he may do in feeding his cows the first effect of that feeding will always be upon tbe fat, the other solids tending to remain constant. *lf a cow is given insufficient food, or is badly housed and looked after, the fat will fall off; but if you give good food the fat will increase. In either ease the cow continues to give the solids other than fat in the same proportion aa before.’

We confess that this has upset many of oar cherished beliefs oo the subjeot of the effects of food on the composition of milk, but in the face of the evidence produced we •re bound to accept it. Until lately it was held that watery food reduced the tota l solids, while good food—especially where an allowance of cotton-oake or bean meal was given—increased them, but that the sugar, cheese, and butter were each equally increased or decreased ; now it is shown that it.is the batter alone that is affected to an appreciable degree. Apart from analytical research altogether, however, we are able to corroborate this from practice, because we have often noticed that the giving of rich nitrogenous food to cows is milk has sent the percentage of cream from JO or 13 up to JS percent., wbila the skim milk from this produce looked as bine as ever. This was always a puzzle while believing that the other solids should also'have affected ; but'

now in the light of Mr Lloyd’s paper the matter is explained. This matter is of interest to cheese as well as butter-makers, because it shows that very high feeding on their part will not increase the curd, but only the butter, so that a richer cheese will be the result. At tbe same time, ae the butter globules are simply mechanically entangled in the coagulated caseine, an excess of these will be liable to waste, an i, therefore, the manufacture of whey-butter, or creaming tbe milk before must be resorted to in order that the whole benefit may be obtained. While, therefore, bultermakers may feed their animals as highly as thoy will possibly stand it, cheesetnakera must do so only moderately well to obtain tbe best results.