THE RATE OF GROWTH OF THE DAIRY COW : III. THE RELATION BETWEEN GROWTH IN WEIGHT AND INCREASE OF MILK SECRETION WITH AGE.

It is shown that from 2 years, the age when milk secretion usually begins, to 9 years, the age of maximum body weight, the increase of milk secretion with age follows the course of growth in body weight— both can be accurately represented by the equation of a monomolecular chemical reaction having a velocity constant of approximately the same numerical value. While increase in milk secretion and increase in body weight with age follow the same course, it is shown that increasing body weight contributes only about 20 per cent to increasing milk secretion with age. The fact that milk secretion and body weight follow the same course, even though they are largely independent of each other indicates that increase in body weight is a good measure of growth of the dairy cow; this fact also shows that the increase of milk secretion with age may be used as a measure of growth. The fact that milk secretion, like body weight, follows the course of a chemical reaction, adds further support to the theory that growth is limited by a chemical reaction.