166 Report of Farmers' Institutes 



WEIGHING MILK AND FEED 



Elmer S. Savage 



weighing the milk 



Little that is new can be said on this subject. Every farmer' 

 knows that he should weigh the milk of each individual cow at 

 each milking, yet few are willing to make this effort. All 

 should be urged to do so at all times. There are two funda- 

 mental reasons for this. 



1. The records made by weighing the milk of each cow at 

 every milking will show the production of each individual. This 

 data is invaluable. It establishes which cows are persistent in 

 milk flow, and it enables the farmer to practice rigid selection. 

 Further, and probably most important of all, it establishes a 

 firm basis for sales. The statement of the production of his in- 

 dividual cows will be accepted from every farmer by his neigh- 

 bors, if he is an honest man, even if these records have not been 

 authenticated. 'Not enough attention has been paid to this point, 

 which is the one new thing in this paper. Too much stress cannot 

 be laid on it. A complete record of the production of his herd will 

 enable a farmer to sell his stock, particularly the young stock, to 

 very gi-eat advantage. 



2. A knowledge of the daily production of his animals will 

 enable a farmer to follow production closely with his feeding. 

 Not enough attention is paid to this fact. The trouble of keep- 

 ing records of individual production is fully paid for by the 

 help gained in adjusting the ration of each individual. 



WEIGHING FEED 



The dairy business on most farms is too often considered just 

 " chores." It is not studied and carried on with sufficient care. 

 Although not so important as weighing the milk, it is worth 

 while to weigh the concentrates fed. With the roughage this is not 

 necessary. In general, a cow should get about one pound of 

 concentrates for every three and one-half pounds of milk yielded, 

 depending on the test of butterfat. If the test is high, one 



