3I^> AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



trained man will notice many things that the untrained, hard- 

 working farmer overlooks, but which he will appreciate if 

 pointed out to him in the proper way. It is necessary, however, 

 that only one or two of the more important ideas be mentioned 

 at one time, as too many suggestions may defeat the purpose of 

 the work. There are very few farmers who will not receive 

 suggestions regarding their work from a person who has shown 

 himself to be familiar with the subject and who presents it in a 

 practical way. By the time he has secured improved methods in 

 handling and caring for the milk without any materially increased 

 cost he will have secured the confidence of the patrons and 

 shown himself to be a safe and careful leader. He can then take 

 up matters which at first may not have appealed so keenly to the 

 producers. It is likely that he will explain to the farmer the 

 importance of keeping records of each individual animal in his 

 herd and he w^ill probably weigh and test the milk of each cow 

 himself. This wnll interest the producer, because he would like 

 to know^ definitely which cow is actually giving the most milk 

 and butter fat, although it is likely that he has never taken the 

 trouble to find out for himself. With the record or each cow's 

 production for a certain period it will be easy to show the 

 importance of complete individual records. 



He will then probably discuss the methods of feeding, the 

 importance of feeding a proper ration, and perhaps prepare a 

 balanced ration for part or all the animals in the herd. He will 

 also compute the costs of the food consumed by each cow and 

 compare this w^ith the value of the milk produced. This should 

 lead to the establishment of a cow-testing association in the com- 

 munity. It will sooner or later be found that the only way to 

 secure the necessary number of desirable cows is to breed them. 

 Here again the instructor will have an opportunity to assist in 

 the selection of cows from which to breed. He will also help 

 in the selection of a sire, and by this time the scrub bull will be 

 no longer desired. When patrons understand the need of better 

 cows and find a reasonably sure way of getting them by breed- 

 ing, they are sure to become more interested in all branches of 

 their business and it would be strange indeed if they did not 

 seek the advice of the demonstrator in the matter of securing 

 cheaper feeds. Many will decide that a silo is necessary in order 

 to provide succulent feed for winter. The demonstrator wnll be 



