180 [STATE BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



pounds. Mr. Boies, with his large animals, gets an average of 31-i^ pounds of 

 butter, while Mr. Blodgett, with his small animals, obtains an average of 234^ 

 pounds of butter. "Judged by tlie usual standard of product per cow, this 

 dairy would by most dairymen be at once set down as the least desirable and 

 the least profitable. But in fact the reverse is true. ]\Ir. Blodgett' s dairy is 

 the most profitable, for he gets the most butter in proportion to the food con- 

 sumed." — Prof. Arnold. 



One additional reason why Mr. Blodgett's herd of Jerseys is the most profit- 

 able, seems to have been overlooked. The Jerseys give a milk mucli richer in 

 butter than most other breeds, but not so large in amount; and the cost of 

 labor required to handle the extra amount of milk to make the same amount 

 of butter, is saved. If one cow will make a pound of butter by giving 25 

 pounds of milk, and another a pound by giving 20 pounds of milk, the second 

 cow may be more profitable, even if she gives a few pounds of butter less in a 

 year, because the labor of milking and handling the extra milk is saved. The 

 average size of cows is of importance as Prof. Arnold shows, and the size of 

 the milk pail required for a given result is also important. 



I have thus briefly called your attention to the character of the milk of dif- 

 ferent breeds of cattle. Which is the best breed for butter or cheese, is a 

 question I have not attempted to answer. I have only indicated the way 

 in which it seems to me this question must be decided, if at all. At present, 

 it is all but impossible to get at the relative value of the different dairy breeds. 

 When dairymen desire to indulge in a little advertising of their favorite breeds, 

 they do not publish statements showing the average number of pounds of but- 

 ter made from each cow during the season. They select some favorite cow, 

 celebrated for giving a large amount of rich milk, and rush into print with 

 statement of milk and butter produced, and exultingly ask "who can beat it?" 

 and unless some one can "go one better," the game of bluff carries the day. 

 One cannot estimate the worth of any breed for general or for special dairy pur- 

 poses from the startling results obtained from exceptional animals. As well 

 try to determine the average diet of men from the enormous amount some 

 glutton may swallow. In determining the value of any breed for milk, we 

 watit the average and not the iinusual. If the yield of a cow is very unusual 

 it is worthless for this jiurpose. 



Again, when yields of herds are given we get only half the facts in the case. 

 If one dairyman gets on the average 250 pounds of butter from his cows, and 

 another 300 pounds, the first is apt to say, "I am not going to own up that I 

 am beaten," so the whole truth is never known, and wonderful yields are all 

 the public ever hear of. On this subject of the value of breeds for milk, the 

 ordinary is more valuable than the extraordinary. We want sober facts and 

 not suri)rises. When dairymen will be content to give us the plain prosaic 

 facts wliich have nothing wonderful about tho4n except their truth, we may 

 arrive at some estimate of the comparative value of the different breeds for 

 the production of butter or of cheese. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Strange. — I would like to know whether, in any of Mr. Kedzie's experi- 

 ments, the milk was allowed to stand lonsfcr tlian twentv-four liours. It seems 

 to me tliat at a low temperature a longer time would be required for the cream 

 to rise perfectly. 



Mr. Kedzie. — I had some duplicate specimens that stood from two to three 

 days, but the quantity of cream was not ap])reciably increased. 



