The Bulletin. 97 



characteristic of the breed, though of course varying in degree with the indi- 

 vidual. To Guernsey breeders I cannot let slip this opportunity for drawing 

 their attention to this inherent characteristic of the Guernsey, equaled by no 

 other breed, and which every breeder should have constantly in mind, and 

 use every effort to perpetuate in his herd. The richness and color of the 

 Guernsey milk stand to-day preeminent and should be fostered by every 

 owner. As the best method of becoming better acquainted with one's herd 

 and the individual cows in it, I cannot refrain from again calling attention to 

 the cow-testing associations and a few results picked up at random. Ne- 

 braska Experiment Station Bulletin, No. 129, gives the results of the Douglas 

 County Cow-testing Association. T\venty-one herds .of 435 cows were entered. 

 The 10 best cows brought in $1,032.88 more than the value of their food. 

 The 10 poorest brought in .$57.82, or an actual loss on their keep. The best 

 cows gave $4.17 for each dollar's worth of food eaten, the poorest 55 cents 

 for each dollar's worth . of grain. The result of one year's work in this 

 county was the raising of the average yield per cow by 50 pounds butter-fat 

 and the building of IS silos. The book account of a creamery showed that 

 one patron who had 9 cows received in one year $873. Another, who had 17, 

 received only $697. Think of keeping almost twice as many cows and getting 

 $176 less cash return. Creamery owners should interest themselves to see 

 that a pure-bred bull is available for their patrons who do not own one, for 

 there is no question about the wisdom of grading up the herds. 



AN EXPERIENCE IN IOWA. 



"While in Iowa recently, I had occasion to go to a creamery to test some 

 milk. While busy testing, a farmer who had driven up with a large tank 

 wagon ste])ped in the room to see what I was doing, evidently noting that I 

 was a stranger, and opened up conversation. Evidently he had something on 

 his mind, for one of his first questions was, "What is the best breed of cattle 

 for milk?" "That," I said, "would depend upon conditions, whether milk or 

 cream was to be sold, and the market available." He wished to make milk 

 for the creamery, and stated that he now had grade Shorthorns that yielded 

 an average of $30 a year for butter-fat. "Great Scott!" I ejaculated, "$2.50 

 a month." I must have been a little emphatic in expressing my surprise, for 

 he quickly replied: "It is pretty small, and I have got to make some 

 change." He then told me he had been on the same farm seventeen years, 

 and "started with grade Jerseys, but they were too small and restle.ss, calves 

 too puny to make veal, hardly fit for wolf bait," to use his own words. "So," 

 he said, "I got rid of the whole plagued lot, and got grade Shorthorns." 



I found by inquiry of the creamery operator that sixteen years before, when 

 that man began bringing cream, they paid 11 cents per pound for butter-fat. 

 while now they paid 32 cents for the year. I said to my farmer: "That 

 price looks good to me, if you have good cows." "Well," he said, "you can see 

 just what I am doing now. Here is my cream check for last month." 

 Looking at it, I saw that it was for $91.91. in payment for 290.5 pounds 

 butter-fat. "How many cows?" I asked. "Twenty-one," he replied. A little 

 example in division showed that he was getting an average of 14.1 pounds 

 butter-fat per cow, selling for $4.37, the total average income per month 

 from each cow, and that on .July jiasture. Even this was much in excess of 

 his year's aA'crage. I must have looked my surprise again, for he broke out 

 with, "Well, I ought to change! I had thought of getting Holsteins; they 

 give 'such a lot of skim-milk for the pigs." I must have just smiled at this, 

 and remarked that he might be right on that, but I understood he wanted 

 cream. "I do," he said; to which I replied: "Why not get cows that will give 

 cream, then, and at a profit? Guernseys are pretty good at that." I said 

 that I noticed him drawing buttermilk with his tank wagon, and he told me 

 he had the contract to take all the creamery made, at 65 cents per hundred 

 gallons, which was 10 cents more than he had to pay last year, it being sold 

 by bid annually. "Well," I said, "it will be difficult to beat that with Hol- 

 steins. When at the Agricultural College at Ames, they told me 200 pounds 

 buttermilk was equal to a bushel of corn for hog feed, and 65 cents for 100 

 gallons, or 850 pounds, is the same as buying corn at 15 cents a bushel." 



7 — December 



