r "animal odor" of fresh milk is an inherent
peculiarity that is due to the direct absorption of volatile elements
from the animal herself. This condition is very much exaggerated when
the animal consumes strong-flavored substances as garlic, leeks, turnips
and cabbage. The volatile substances that give to these vegetables their
characteristic odor are quickly diffused through the system, and if such
foods are consumed some few hours before milking, the odor in the milk
will be most pronounced. The intensity of such taints is diminished
greatly and often wholly disappears, if the milking is not done for some
hours (8-12) after such foods are consumed.

This same principle applies in lesser degree to many green fodders that
are more suitable as feed for animals, as silage, green rye, rape, etc.
Not infrequently, such fodders as these produce so strong a taint in
milk as to render it useless for human use. Troubles from such sources
could be entirely obviated by feeding limited quantities of such
material immediately after milking. Under such conditions the taint
produced is usually eliminated before the next milking. The milk of
swill-fed cows is said to possess a peculiar taste, and the urine of
animals fed on this food is said to be abnormally acid. Brewers' grains
and distillery slops when fed in excess also induce a similar condition
in the milk.

Milk may also acquire other than volatile substances directly from the
animal, as in cases where drugs, as belladonna, castor oil, sulfur,
turpentine, jalap, croton oil, and many others have been used as
medicine. Such mineral poisons as arsenic have been known to appear
eight hours after ingestion, and persist for a period of three weeks
before being eliminated.

~Absorption of odors after milking.~ If milk is brought in contact with
strong odors after being drawn from the animal, it will absorb them
readily, as in the barn, where frequently it is exposed to the odor of
manure and other fermenting organic matter.

It has long been a popular belief that milk evolves odors and cannot
absorb them so long as it is warmer than the surrounding air, but from
experimental evidence, the writer[47] has definitely shown that the
direct absorption of odors takes place much more rapidly when the milk
is warm than when cold, although under either condition, it absorbs
volatile substances with considerable avidity. In this test fresh milk
was exposed to an atmosphere impregnated with