420 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



REPORT OF COW TESTING EXHIBIT AT IOWA STATE FAIR, DES 



MOIXES, AUGUST 20 TO 29, 1919. 



The Cow Testing- Association exhibit at the State Fair this year (1919) 

 was organized for the special purpose of bringing to breeders of dairy cat- 

 tle the importance both of breeding their cows intelligently, and then fol- 

 lowing this up with selection based upon reliable records. 



In planning the exhibit for 1919 an attempt was made to make the front 

 attractive, and thus cause people to inquire what was in the tent, so two 

 pyramids of cans and butter tubs were put outside. One very large pyramid 

 representing 98 cans, equal to 8.466 pounds of milk, and on top of this pyra- 

 mid, a small pyramid of butter tubs representing 350 pounds of butter fat. 

 The other pyramid was composed of 41 cans representing 3,534 pounds of 

 milk, and on top of this pyramid a group of tubs representing 190 pounds 

 of butter fat. 



The small pyramid represented the production of the original Arkansas 

 cow which was represented in the cattle part of the exhibit, and the large 

 group of cans and butter tubs represented the production of her three-quar- 

 ter blood Holstein granddaughter. Between these two pyramids was placed, 

 a sign. "What Pure Bred Dairy Sires Do." and other placards were placed 

 to explain what the pyramids represented. 



The cattle for this exhibit were taken from the Cow Testing Association 

 of Polk county, and from the Iowa State College dairy herd. The exhibit 

 was composed of ten cows, and an enlarged picture of one cow which could 

 not be obtained. The picture was that of one of the original Arkansas cows 

 which were secured, about ten years ago for the purpose of demonstrating 

 the value of the pure bred dairy sire in increasing dairy production. Next 

 to the picture stood a daughter of this cow which was sired by a pure-bred 

 Holstein bull, and next to this grade cow stood her daughter by another 

 pure-bred Holstein sire. 



The three-year-old record of the original Arkansas cow shown in the 

 picture was 190 pounds of butter fat. The three-year-old record of the 

 daughter was 208.6 pounds of butter fat. The record of the granddaughter 

 of the original cow, and hence a three-fourths blood Holstein. was 355.9 

 pounds of butter fat at three years of age. This part of the exhibit readily 

 .'^howed how the production was consistently improved by the use of the 

 pure-bred sire. 



Over these cows hung^ the slogan, "Pure Bred Dairy Sires Stimulate Pro- 

 duction." and other signs hung just below showing the breeding of the dif- 

 ferent cows in that group, and below these were suspended the records of 

 the individ.ual cows. 



The next group of cows were four pure-bred Guernseys which showed 

 the necessity of following up breeding with selection based upon records, 

 and these cows fell into two groups. The first were three-quarter sisters 

 by the same sire and out of half-sisters. The record of the first cow as a 

 two-year-old was 458.9 ]iounds of butter fat; the record of the next cow at 

 the same age was only 264.1 pounds of butter fat. The next two cows of 

 this group were daughters of the same pure-bred cow, but were by different 

 sires, thus they were maternal half-sisters. The record of the first cow of 

 this group was 420.2 pounds at three years of age. The record of the other 

 cow of this group was 249 pounds in nine months at three years of age. Al- 

 though the last cow^ had only been on test nine months her record indicated 

 that she would have difficulty in making the Advance Registry, while her 

 half-sister made the Advanced Registry with the good record of 420 pounds. 



Over this group of cows w-as the slogan, "Breeding Must Be Supplemented 

 With Selection," and below this sign hung the explanation of the breeding 

 of these cows and their records. 



