Il6 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



more accurate outcome; and in my judgment it is better adapted 

 to the conditions in this State, as I understand them. Twenty 

 or thirty dairymen band themselves together and employ a man 

 who goes from farm to farm, today at A's house, tomorrow at 

 B's house, the day after at C's, next week at H's. Twelve 

 times a year he is at A's house. Twelve times a year he weighs 

 the milk of each of A's cows morning and night. Twelve times 

 a year he takes samples from each and tests them. A does 

 nothing whatsoever himself except to open the door to the 

 sampler when he comes. The sampler attends to the whole 

 proposition. Ordinarily A, B and the rest pay a dollar a year 

 per cow into the common treasury. A, who has ii cows, pays 

 $11. B, who has 14 cows, pays $14. This payment may be 

 made at one time, or in quarterly installments ; or it may be 

 withheld from the creamery check, as the creamery is frequently 

 the nucleus of such an organization. A, having made this pay- 

 ment, need think nothing more about the matter from beginning 

 to end. At the close of the year he receives a sheet of paper 

 upon which is given in black and white the milk weights for the 

 year of every one of his cows, not down to the last pound per- 

 haps, but a close approximation; likewise a very close approxi- 

 mation to the number of pounds of butter each one of the cows 

 made during the year. That sheet of paper is the return for 

 the $11 invested. Is the sheet of paper worth $11? Emphati- 

 cally yes. What profits it to a man to milk cows that are 

 returning less milk in terms of dollars and cents than the food 

 costs? There are only two kinds of cows, — cows that make 

 more than they eat and those that eat more than they make. A 

 certain New England agricultural writer finds fault with insti- 

 tute speakers who harp on this better cow proposition. He 

 says in essence : We know that we have cows that will not pay 

 their way, but what are we going to do about it? Where are 

 we going to get better ones? He utterly misses the point. 

 What use is it for a farmer to milk a cow that gives 43 cents 

 worth of milk for a dollar's worth of food? If a Sherlock 

 Holmes could point out the loss makers, wouldn't their owner 

 discard them? The cow testing association is an organized 

 Sherlock Holmes bureau. I do not care what form the scheme 

 takes, either will tell the story; and it seems to me it is a story 

 worth telling. 



