ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 633 



THE FIRST AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. 



The cow-testing movement in the United States was inaugurated by the 

 writer, working under the direction of the state dairy and food depart- 

 ment of Michigan, and the first association was organized at Fremont, 

 Mich., September 2G, 1905, under the name of the Newaygo County Dairy 

 Testing Association. The general purpose for which it was formed was 

 "to promote the dairy interests of its members, and particularly to pro- 

 vide means and methods for testing the milk of the cows of the members 

 periodically." It consisted of 31 members, and 239 cows completed the 

 first year's test. The officers of the association consisted of a president, a 

 vice-president, a secretary and treasurer, and a board of nine directors. 

 This board had the management of the business of the association and 

 employed a cow tester, who made monthly visits to each herd, and as 

 there are only twenty-six working days in a month, it was necessary for 

 him in some cases to test two herds in one day. 



METHODS OF OPERATION. 



The cow tester arrives at the farm in the afternoon and remains there 

 for twenty-four hours, when he is carried by the farmer to the farm of 

 the next member in the association. 



On his arrival at the stable the cow tester enters in a book which he 

 carries for this purpose the name and number of each cow in the herd, 

 whether she gives milk or not. As it is the purpose of the work to ascer- 

 tain the actual status of the whole herd, as well as of the individual, 

 every cow in the stable should be entered on this list. It is obvious that 

 if only cows with large yields were entered on the list,- at the end of the 

 year the herd would show a higher average than the truth would warrant. 

 For this reason, and in hope of obtaining commercial advantages from 

 such high records, some dairymen have preferred not to have the whole 

 herd tested; but it is a rule of the cow-testing association to obtain records 

 of every animal in the herd which has had one calf, and no records are 

 published where such is not the case. 



The cow tester takes part in the feeding of the cows, and while doing 

 so he weighs the amount of roughage and grain each cow receives and 

 records these data in a book which he carries with him at all times. The 

 milk yielded by each cow is weighed and samples of it are obtained for 

 testing. Records of the feed and the yield for each individual are again 

 obtained and recorded the next morning, and after breakfast the fat de- 

 termination is made. During the forenoon the calculations are made and 

 entered in the record book, which at all times remains in the possession 

 of the farmer. 



The milking is done at the usual milking time, in order that the aver- 

 age, yield may be obtained as accurately as possible. In case of competi- 

 tion between the herds, there may be a tendency to milk early in the 

 morning on the day the tester is expected to arrive. In this way the 

 yield for the testing day might be somewhat increased. To guard against 

 this it is customary in some associations for the cow tester not to follow 



