No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 201 



persuaded to join the first month when we still lacked a member. The 

 next mouth he joined the association and now is not only expecting 

 to join for another year, but has persuaded his father to join for 

 the next year. Since the association has started four of the farm- 

 ers have started to test their cows for the Advanced Registry. 



Nearly every herd has its surprises. What was thought to be the 

 best cows in the herd are often proving to be only average cows, while 

 some cow that was little thought of is proving to be among the 

 best. 



The association is now being organized for another year into two 

 associations where there was but one. It took three days to organize 

 on this side of the river and it will probably not take much longer 

 on the other side. Two of the things that have helped to make it 

 easy to organize for another year are, first, the stress laid on the 

 work at the Farmers' Institute during the past winter, and second, 

 the advertising given the association by the county papers which 

 have published each month a list of the cows giving over forty 

 pounds of butter fat during the month. There are only five associa- 

 tions in the State. Next year over half those in the State will be in 

 Bradford county." 



I am speaking now to the leaders of the agricultural societies of 

 various parts of Pennsylvania, and I wish to urge upon you the 

 importance of this movement. I do not know of any one thing that 

 can be done that will tend more to increase the profits of the dairies 

 in the State of Pennsylvania, It will also start a trend of thought 

 among our farmers toward the detail financial side of farm work 

 which will be helpful to them in more ways than one. We face a 

 peculiar situation in forming any kind of an organization among our 

 farmers. They recognize the logic of argument in such matters as 

 those, but they are very slow in forming eflfective organizations to 

 carry a scheme into effect. The one thing needed to bring this about 

 is local leadership. In this matter, you who are constantly coming 

 in contact with these farmers must have judgment in the selection 

 of leaders. Those who are intelligent, successful and have the am- 

 bition and ability to organize and even them you will find it neces- 

 sary to actually begin the organization of these associations yourself, 

 seeing that a committee is appointed, that proper blanks are sup- 

 plied by the authorities and that the local work is well in hand be- 

 before it is turned over to the association officers to carry on. It 

 is a new line of thought to many of these men and it is necessary 

 to stay with them until they have begun the actual work and are 

 familiar with it. This means expense and" time. It means patience, 

 too. So does anything worth while. But I wish to urge here to- 

 day a co-operative and systematic scheme for the formation of these 

 Cow Testing Associations throughout the State. 



In this connection, I want to commend most heartily the action 

 already thoroughly begun in inducing the farmers of the hill lands 

 of northern Pennsylvania to infuse into their stock a goodly portion 

 of Ayrshire blood. One of the foundation breeds of dairying is to 

 adapt a breed of dairy animal to the various types of soil. For gen- 

 erations the Ayrshires have been bred on the steep hills and moun- 

 tains of Scotland and have therefore developed traits that make them 

 eminently fitted to this hill land. All efforts to increase the grade of 



