212 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



At the same time there are lessons which we can draw 

 from this great model dairy test which are of some value to us 

 as dairy farmers. One feature that occurred to me in con- 

 nection with the test, and one which I think can be pointed 

 to as an agricultural lesson, was the cleanliness of the stables 

 and their surroundings. This was remarked upon by a great 

 many people. Ladies who went through the barns would 

 remark, " Why, this does not seem like a stable ; I do not get 

 any stable odors here." That is a lesson that every farmer 

 can take home to himself. If he wishes the highest grade of 

 products, those which will command the highest prices, 

 whether of milk, or butter, or cheese, he has got to take this 

 lesson into consideration and put its teachings into practice 

 on his own farm. 



The test showed, too, that all the good animals do not 

 belong to the same breed. It showed that there are very 

 many valuable animals in each breed, and it showed equally 

 as clearly that there are some poor animals in each of the 

 breeds. If we take the fifty animals representing the ten 

 breeds and place them in their order of excellence in profit 

 for butter, and then pick out the best cow and the poorest 

 cow of each of the leading breeds, w'C find this condition: the 

 best Guernsey, in point of profit for butter, ranked No. i in 

 the total herd of fifty cows, while the poorest Guernsey ranked 

 No. 43 ; the best Jersey ranked No. 4 and the poorest No. 

 29 ; the best Ayrshire ranked No. 8 and the poorest Ayrshire 

 No. 28; the best Holstein ranked No. 6 and the poorest No. 

 33 ; the best Red-Polled ranked No. 2 and the poorest No. 40. 



Another illustration will show the same point. If we 

 select the ten best cows in the herd of fifty we will find that 

 of those ten three are Guernseys, three are Ayrshires, two 

 are Jerseys, one is a Red-Polled, and one is a Holstein. 



If we make a close study of the individuals within a breed 

 we find the conditions which help to explain this particular 

 point. By comparing the general build and type of the cows 

 with their productiveness we find that the animals that con- 

 form most closely to what is now being adopted as the dairy 

 type were, without regard to breed, the most productive. 



Another point which seemed to be clearly shown was that 

 if you are keeping cows for butter production chiefly you 

 should make vour selection from certain breeds. If vou are 



