Vermont Dairymen's Association. 139 



wards overestimating' food costs. This statement however is no 

 indictment of the essential validity of the outcome of a difficult 

 task like taking a cow census. It should be remembered that the 

 data have comparative rather than absolute values and that the 

 exact statements are of little service. Take for instance, Nos. 

 47, 58 and 62. No. 47 feed fifty mixed cows at a loss of 24 cents 

 per cow ; No. 53 feed sixty-five grades at a loss of $2.78 apiece ; 

 No. 62 fed seventy grades from which he made a net gain of 

 $20.50. No. 62 can feel fairly well satisfied with the outcome. 

 Whatever price may be allotted to hay, he is doing well. It is not 

 an important matter with No. 47 however, whose results are on 

 the border line, whether he has made a 24 cent gain or 24 cent 

 loss. Whether the price for hay is or is not correct, his success 

 is not a glittering one. Some of his cows — or else his methods- 

 are not worth while. As for No. 58, whatever price — within 

 reason — is allowed to hay, his cows certainly are not doing satis- 

 factory work. And what shall we say for Nos. 73 to 79 in- 

 clusive, where losses per cow ranged from $15.36 to $21.68. the 

 best of whom made barely 120 pounds of butter per cow? They 

 probably say for themselves that it is all a blank lie, and continue 

 in the same paths. Enoch is wedded to his idols. 



WHAT CAN Bt DGNE ? 



The important question now arises, what can be done for 

 the contrite and chastened dairyman who occupies the mourner's 

 bench, who wants to do better but does not know just how? In 

 other words, what practicable procedures may dairymen in- 

 augurate who fail to make the two ends of feed and creamery 

 check meet? They should and they readily may: 



1. Weigh the milk of each cow. 



2. Test the milk of each cow. 



.S. Learn to judge a cow as to her dairy abilities. 

 4. Apprehend and put into practice the fundamental principles of 

 dairy feeding, of dairy sanitation, and of manure handling. 



Each and every one of these procedures is entirely practicable 

 and is practiced on thousands of dairy farms. Let us reason 

 about them for a while. 



WKIGHT OF* MILK, 



It is really such a simple thing for a dairyman to do 

 to determine the milk yield of each cow, the time element is so 

 negligible, the apparatus so simple, the operation so kinder- 

 gartenish, and the information afforded so illuminating that it is 



