2l8 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



a profit of from $40.00 to $50.00 each. The result was the 

 boarders had to go, their royal blood could save them no longer 

 and their places were filled with heifers I raised on the farm 

 and cows I purchased. 



At the end of the first year I was in the Cow Testing Asso- 

 ciation my herd averaged 305 lbs. of butter each and at the close 

 of the second year they averaged 372 lbs. of butter per cow^ 

 making a gain of dj lbs. of butter per cow in my herd in one 

 year. 



The average profit from each cow in 1908 was $27.54 and 

 the average profit per cow in 1909 was $50.77, making a gain per 

 cow of $23.23. The milk from my herd sold in 1908 for $2,200 

 and in 1909 for $2,687.48, a gain of $487.48. 



The. price of butter fat in 1908 was 31 9-10 cents per pound 

 and in 1909 was 35 1-3 cents per pound, but by reckoning but- 

 ter fat at the same price for both years I actually received $300 

 more from my herd in 1909 than I did in 1908. 



In ten months this year I have received for milk $2,492.48 

 and am confident my herd will pay me $3,000 for the whole year, 

 which means an average of $100 per cow gross income for the 

 year. 



I have two cows that have each tested better than 500 lbs. of 

 butter per year and I hope to have my entire herd average 400 

 lbs. of butter per cow. I do not intend to keep a cow that will 

 not test better than 300 lbs. of butter per year. 



This increase of income from my herd is largely due to se- 

 lecting or weeding out those cows which did not come up to my 

 standard and filling their places with those that did. 



If we would all adopt these principles and continue the work 

 started by our able dairy instructors I believe that the profits 

 from our dairy industry would be constantly increased. 



