Early History of the Cow-Testing AssociATioisr 21 



The total gain in milk in the eleven herds was 75,969 pounds, 

 having a value of $1,146.37. The butter-fat production was 

 increased over 4,000 pounds. 



In 1913, Commissioner of Agriculture Calvin J. Huson placed 

 the cow-testing association work in charge of Edward van 

 Alstjne, director of farmers' institutes. Special effort was made 

 at the farmers' institute meetings to set forth the value of cow- 

 testing associations, showing the good results obtained by the 

 associations in increasing the production of milk and butter fat 

 for each cow and in lowering the cost of feed consumed. Largely 

 as a result of this instruction, thirteen associations were organized 

 during the year. 



Previous to the year 1913, all associations had been organized 

 on the " per cow " plan, the usual rate being one dollar for each 

 cow. This proved very unsatisfactory. Since the official tester 

 spent the same length of time at each farm, the owners of the 

 larger herds felt that they were paying too much. Many cows 

 were sold and the owners did not wish to pay for testing cowb 

 that they did not own. As the price demanded by the official 

 tester increased from thirty-five to forty dollars a month in the 

 first years to the present prices of from forty-five to fifty dollars 

 a month, the assessment of one dollar a cow was not sufficient to 

 meet the expenses. Some of the dairymen who had pure-bred 

 cows wished to do official work in their respective herds, and the 

 " per cow " plan did not seem to fill this need. During the year 

 1912, the Delhi association changed to the per diem plan, charg- 

 ing each member two dollars a day for the time he employed the 

 official tester, regardless of the number of cows tested. In the 

 larger herds the official tester is employed for two days a month. 

 Occasionally, if two small herds are on adjoining farms, the tester 

 can care for both in one day, each man paying one dollar. This 

 plan worked so well that it was advocated at the farmers' insti- 

 tutes of 1912-13, with the result that the associations formed 

 since January, 1913, have been on the per diem plan, each mem- 

 ber paying the tester for the time he is employed at the rate of 

 two dollars a day. A small assessment is made on the members 

 in order to pay incidental expenses. 



