176 • AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



giving milk, — seems to be all right; only we might say she is 

 liable to milk fever any time within four or five days, if she has 

 had the disease and got over it. If you repeat the conditions 

 that brought on the first attack she is liable to have the second 

 attack. It is well not to empty the udder. The Department of 

 Agriculture at Washington issues a bulletin on milk fever in 

 cows that you might find valuable. 



REPORT OF COW TESTING ASSOCIATIONS. 

 By Leon S. Merrill. 



The officers of the association have requested me to make a 

 report on the cow testing associations in Maine. We have at 

 the present time three associations, containing about 100 mem- 

 bers who own over i,ocxD cows. The first commenced active 

 work February- 2nd, and is located in the towns of Waterford 

 and Norway; the second began operations February 16, in the 

 towns of Winthrop and Readfield, Winthrop being the place of 

 business, and the 3rd June 16. in Canton and Sumner, with 

 possibly one or two members from Hartford. 



The purpose of the cow testing association is to determine 

 the dairy value of the individual cow. It must possess certain 

 essential factors. It must be practical in operation, economical 

 in cost, educational in scope, reasonably accurate, and profitable 

 in results. The form of organization has much to do as to 

 whether or not it may be practicable. After an examination 

 of the different forms in use in this country, it was decided that 

 the co-operative form was the one best adapted to our needs, 

 and so it was presented to our dairymen, and evidently this con- 

 clusion was correct, as the plans have been adopted without 

 question. However, all of the different plans have always been 

 presented for the dairymen to consider and take what seemed 

 to be best and wise for them. The plan of the co-operative 

 association is for the members to employ an official tester, to 

 visit the farmers at stated periods, once each month, going in 

 time for the night's milking and spending the night with the 

 farmer. He weighs and samples the milk from each cow, and 



