140 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Jersey, because we believe that ultimately we could produce the largest 

 amount of butter from a Jersey herd. I have since modified my ideas 

 somewhat. I believe the Guernsey is about as good as the Jersey; but no 

 matter what stock we select from we must get a sire that has a good 

 record. In looking over a certain animal's pedigree, we must look to see 

 that the dam and grand dam, four or five generations back, have a record. 

 The sire is more than half the herd, and if we can get such a sire as that 

 it will be worth while to pay a good price for it. 



Some farmers, instead of making their selection from a breeder's herd, 

 where the animals are known to be of superior merit, will go to another 

 farmer who has a Jersey to sell which is not a Jersey at all ; it has been 

 bred and inbred and bred to scrubs until all the Jersey there was was 

 in the looks. There are lots of such so-called Jerseys, and they are a dis- 

 grace to the farmer who keeps them. There are no points of excellence 

 about them, and they are no good for anything when you get through 

 milking them. If you are going to breed Jerseys, don't stop and talk with 

 the first farmer who has a scrub Jersey to sell, but go to a breeder who 

 knows what he is about. I want to emphasize this one point of buying 

 sires or calves or heifers from men who ought to be prevented from 

 offering such stock for sale. 



THE BABCOCK TESTER. 



Then comes the Babcock tester. I will explain its work later. It has 

 been the greatest help I have had. Cows which I supposed were first- 

 class butter producers I found to be the poorest cows I had. This Bab- 

 cock tester reduced our seven cows to three that were good producers. 

 We got a Jersey sire, and kept on buying for a year or two, and we have 

 to buy occasionally now, but as soon as we get one the Babcock tester 

 tells us what to do with it. We have now a herd of fourteen cows that 

 will produce 275 pounds per year each, and I hope by next April will 

 produce close to 2S5 or 200 pounds of butter for a year's record. I can- 

 not say whether they will reach that limit or not. Our cows are mostly 

 grade Jerseys, but they have been bred to a certain point of excellence. 

 After we keep a cow one year, if she won't make 250 pounds of butter she 

 goes. We hope, after a while, to obtain cows that will produce .300 

 pounds of butter in a year. The first year our herd only averaged 185 

 pounds of butter. It costs |.35.00 to keep a cow a year, about that. Now 

 if we can't get |50.00 worth of butter and skim-milk from this cow, and 

 count in the calves, she isn't worth keeping. 



A GOOD cow IS A GOOD COW, 



There is one other thing in connection with this breeding, and it 

 touches the te(^hnical line of breeding, too. I have found out that a good 

 cow is a. good cow all the world over, no matter of what breed. We have 

 in our herd a Shorthorn cow that has been bred from a cow my father 

 got 27 years ago. That cow was of a dairy type, and he took particular 

 pains to breed her along that type. We have now two cows that we are 

 milking which came from that original cow, and which this year will 

 make over 280 pounds of butter in a year. We have today in our herd 



