DAIRY MEETING. II9 



were within 3 or 4 per cent of correct. Now the matter of 

 tests : Take on the third, fifth and seventh months from calving, 

 add the three and divide by three ; then calculate the butter- fat. 

 The calculations are very simple. 



Leon S. MERRiEiy. , I have been very much interested in this 

 talk, and I have found it to be an interesting subject all the way 

 along, because I think it has to do very largely with profitable or 

 unprofitable dairying. I touched but very little on the subject this 

 morning, for the reason, as I explained to you, that Prof. Hills 

 was to speak upon it this afternoon. But I believe, as I told 

 you then, that dairying must receive its greatest stimulus here 

 in Alaine from the increasing of the dairy value of the individual 

 cow, and we are unable to do that unless we have the informa- 

 tion at hand as to the actual work performed by the individual 

 cow. We are well aware that there are men who will perform 

 an immense amount of work some days, but perhaps will do it 

 in a very indifferent manner ; another man will do a small 

 amount of work and do it exceedingly well ; another man will 

 neither do very much nor very well. That is exactly the condi- 

 tion with the dairy cows, and what concerns us most is to find 

 out to which class they belong. We must adopt some practical 

 method to learn their value. There is no reason in the world 

 why the cow should not be judged by the same standard. There 

 is no reason why the value of the cow should not be placed 

 according as she has done her work for us. Now here is just 

 the point, — whether it is practicable for us, whether it is the 

 better way, for each man to do the work for himself or to 

 co-operate with his neighbors. As an actual fact, every man 

 here does co-operate with his neighbors in some way, in carry- 

 ing out his farm work. Men who are selling their cream to 

 creameries co-operate with each other and hire a collector to 

 take that cream to the Station, because they believe they can do 

 it m.ore economically in that way. I happen to be one who is 

 firmly convinced that a man can do this work more econom- 

 ically, more accurately and more profitably, so far as determin- 

 ing the actual cost and production is concerned, by employing 

 the method that the professor has recommended for the State of 

 Maine. I have had a little experience and a little opportunity 

 to look into the experiences of others. While I was in the West 

 I visited the first Control Association organized in America. 



