Improvement of Missouri Herds. 369 



teria in the milk, and thus prevents it from becoming sour. The 

 pink color given to the milk by these tablets is merely for safety. 

 Open jars cannot be used for composite work. So much of the 

 water would evaporate from the milk that the test would be much 

 too high. Arrange a permanent shelf in the cow stable for these 

 sample jars. 



Weighing — Secure a spring balance like that of Figure 17. 

 Suspend it where the bucket of milk will svv^ing freely, not touch- 

 ing the wall. When the cow has been milked clean (for the last 

 milk is much richer than the first) hang the bucket on the bal- 

 ance, and record the weight immediately onto the permanent milk 

 sheet, similar to that shown on page 78. 



Now stir the milk three or four strokes with a dipper, which 

 will hold about two tablespoonfuls, then dip out one measure, and 

 add it to the bottle corresponding in number to the cow just milked. 

 After the milk is added in this way, the sample should be whirled 

 a little to mix the fresh milk with the poison previously placed in 

 the bottle. 



These several little steps require such a very small amount 

 of time, when once the tools have been conveniently arranged, that 

 it may be considered as taking no time at all. (The writer has 

 done this sampling, weighing and recording of weight for each 

 cow, and still milked thirteen ordinary cows in 65 minutes, though 

 seventy to seventy-five minutes was the usual length of time.) 



The form of milk sheet on page 78 is convenient. It may 

 be copied onto tough paper, or full size sheets may be purchased 

 from any one of several dairy publishing companies. This par- 

 ticular form is gotten up by Hoard's Dairyman, Ft. Atkinson, Wis- 

 consin. 



Permanent Records — Don't keep the permanent records on 

 scraps of paper nor in pocket-sized books. 



A book of 200 pages, each page 5V2 by III/2 inches, can be 

 purchased for 10 cents of 15 cents. Each page will hold the rec- 

 ord of 30 cows for a month. Write the names or numbers of the 

 cows down the left margin of the left-hand page, then rule up the 

 remainder of the page like January (page 79). 



Do not rewrite the names onto next page, but rule it for Feb- 

 ruary near left side of page, so that the outer third of the leaf 

 may be cut off, so that when turned it will just fit the names of the 

 cows. Tlien on this narrow page rule for March, and so on. In 

 this way, one writing of the names will answer for a whole year 

 or longer. 



A-24 



