286 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



grade of food. Many farmers have buil't silos and used them 

 a few years, but faiUng to see the benefit of thalt feed, have 

 abandoned them, whereas, if they could have seen the exact 

 gain which they obtained by their use, they would have con- 

 tinued the use of the same. The same thing is true in regard 

 to other feeds, such as mixed grains. If one kind gave better 

 results than the others, it would be used to such an extent 

 that the dealers would keep it in stock at a'll times and thus we 

 could, avoid a change in feed. 



(The dairy cow is likened to a steam engine or loom, which, 

 when in perfect order, does the work which it is expected to do 

 in the most economical way. When the machine is out of order, 

 it is being operated at a loss. Thus it is with the cow. If s^he 

 IS a little oifif her feed, as we say, the mi'lk yield will drop from 

 the standard and unless it is noted and the trouble treated, it 

 may cause a great loss in the total products for the year, if not 

 the loss of the coiw, as is sometimes the case. By taking the 

 trouble in hand, when it is small, we save time and money. A 

 nut loose on the locomotive may seem a small thing, but when 

 the train is wrecked and the lives of the passengers lost, it is 

 looked upon in a different liglit. Thus, the careful account 

 of the cow's production gives us an index to her health as well 

 as to our profits. 



I have tried to show the various benefits which are to be 

 obtained by testing the product of your dairy herd, both for 

 quantity and quality. We can see that it is essential to know 

 what is produced on our farms and if they are being carried 

 on at a loss, we want to know where the loss is being made. 

 The day is coming w'ben there will be a systematic method of 

 accounting worked out which will fill a need that is deeply 

 felt today. The farmer of today is showing a much greater 

 confidence in the agricultural department and colleges than at 

 any time before and with the help of the secondary schools 

 we hope that the farmer of tomorrow will exceed even the 

 brightest hopes of today. All that educates will bring us 

 toward this end and Che advance of rural good. 



