| Show variation in production of milk due to feeding dairymen are often puzzled as to the explanation of why two cows of the some same age breeding and under similar management vary so widely in milk production in it a study to determine the underlying cause of tills this variation the dairy department of the missouri college of 0 agriculture kept exact feed and production records record of two cows of similar breeding it was found that the cow producing the largest amount of milk and butterfat consumed a great deal more feed than the cow producing only a small amount of tat fat from this it Is concluded that the underlying reason for the variation in the milk production of cows Is due to the difference in the amount of feed they are able to consume and use above that required for maintenance both cows were equally efficient in digesting the feed which bich they received in other words a cow Is a large producer because she Is able to consume a large amount of feed above the maintenance requirement and uses this feed tor for the production of milk this of course means that a cow must have a large udder containing a large laree number of cells which secrete milk on the other band the small producer has a small capacity for feed and also mammary glands |
