60 State Board of AaRicuLxuitE, &c. 



Now compare, or rather contrast, tliis cow witli another, 

 owned bj one of my neighbors. 



The one of which I now speak, gave a large mess of 

 milk, and was supposed to be a good one. First by acci- 

 dent, and after by careful and repeated trials, it M^as ascer- 

 tained that lier milk contained no cream of any value. 



This cow was disposed of, and afterM-ards -was kept in 

 a butter dairy for two or three years at least, her owner 

 supposing her to be a good one, because she gave a liberal 

 flow of milk. 



I ask you to sit down and calculate the relative value of 

 these two cows, last s})oken of, in the Initter dairy. 



I mention these extreme cases to show that there is a 

 great diiference in the value of cows for the butter dairy, 

 that without actual testing may appear of equal value, and 

 even the one of least value may seem to be much the best. 



These extremes may not be found in any one dairy, but 

 differences less marked are found in almost all dairies, and 

 dairymen are liable, for want of having tested cows, to sell 

 their best ones and keep the poorest, and breed from them, 

 until n-iilk is more abundant than cream. 



Another man tested all his cows, and kept an account with 

 them till he was satisfied he had live cow^s in his herd that 

 did not pay expenses, by five dollars a head per year, and 

 other five only exceeded expenses five dollars per year. 

 He had kept ten cows year after year, getting no profit from 

 them, while the rest of his dairy gave him the only profit 

 he got. 



There is also a great difference in the time reqnired to 

 perfectly cream the milk of different cows. 



