316 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 May, 1919. 



WHY FARMERS SHOULD KEEP MILK RECORDS. 



Ill The Hawaiian Forester and Agriculturist for January, 1919, 

 Professor Ralph J. Borden gives the following eight reasons for keeping 

 the milk records of the herd at Kamehameha Schools Farm, Avhich, he 

 remarks, apply equally to other herds: — 



1. They form the basis upon which the dairy herd is being con- 



tinually iini)roved. No dairyman can afford to buy a herd 

 hull whose dam does not have an authentic record of milk 

 and butter-fat production. Nor can any dairyman afford to 

 raise calves to maturity unless he has every assurance that 

 they will prove Avorth raising. 



2. They enable the feeder to feed each cow according to the 



quantity of milk she produces. Present high cost of con- 

 centrate feeds makes it necessary that every cow pay in 

 milk production for the feed she consumes. 



3. They stimulate better feeding and breeding. The use of a 



balanced ration is soon evident in the way the cows respond 

 at the pail. The daughters of the best producers usually 

 give proof at an early age of their ability to surpass their 

 dam in milk secretion. 



4. Records enable the dairymen to sell cows where other qualities 



fail. A cow with a record of production is worth 25 jier 

 cent, to 50 per cent, more than one without. 



5. The weighing of the milk keeps the owner in close touch with 



the daily condition of the cow. There are many cases of 

 serious illness which could have been prevented in their 

 early stages when the milk record began to drop and give 

 evidence of something wrong with the animal's condition. 



6. Records stimulate better milking. They serve as a check on 



the niilker, and induce him to milk more thoi-oughly than 

 when the milk is not weighed. 



7. A knowledge of what each animal is doing develops personal 



pride and interest in the herd. 



8. They make dairying a business proposition and in more ways 



than one mean more money to the owners. 

 It takes about a minute a day to weigh and record the milk of each 

 cow, but it is a minute well spent and one which will amply pay for 

 itself. Try it, dairymen, on a few cows, and see liow quickly you will 

 appreciate the value of keeping milk records. 



ORCHARD AND GARDEN NOTES. 



E. E. Pescott, F.L.S., Pomologist. 

 The Orchard. 



CuLTIVAJTION. 



Cultivation work should be well on the way by this time. The 

 ploughing should be advanced, so as to leave plenty of time for other 

 orchard work. Autumn ploughing may be rough, but care should be 



