11 Dec, 1916.] The Building of a Good Herd. 741 



THE BUILDING OF A GOOD HERD. 



(a) TEST YOUR COWS. 



By J. Kyle, Dairy Supervisor. 



Many of our dairy farmers sell good cows considering them to be 

 worthless. This apparently is a peculiar statement to make, hut, never- 

 theless, it is only too true, and it is an astounding fact that so many 

 of our dairy farmers have so little idea of the actual value of their 

 cows. This unfortunate state of affairs will continue to exist until 

 accurate records of the milk yield from each individual cow are kept 

 and the use of the Babcock tester becomes more general. The only 

 reliable way to arrive at the true merits of any dairy cow is to estimate 

 her value by the use of the Babcock test and the keeping of accurate 

 records of the quantity of milk she gives. Unless the individual yields 

 from each cow are carefully noted, it is impossible to make a proper 

 selection of a profitable cow. Cow testing thus enables the farmer to 

 find out the coavs that are profitable, and those that are not paying 

 their way. In some cases over one-quarter of the herd has been found 

 when the milk was tested to be unprofitable. This means to the farmer 

 a direct loss in energy, feed, and money. 



The average production per cow of milk and butter-fat in this State 

 is not what it should be ; this is the result of keeping such a large number 

 of unprofitable cows. It is impossible to detect unless a system of 

 weighing the milk from each individual cow, keeping her records, and 

 the use of the Babcock tester, be carried out. By this system the farmer 

 is enabled to find out which cows are the best producers of milk and 

 butter-fat. It is hardly possible to estimate the real value of a dairy 

 cow by outward appearances, as it is knoAvn that the milk of some of 

 our best looking cows is very low in butter-fat. 



Cow testing also helps to discover the great differences in persistency 

 of the milk flow, and the slightest variation in the individual records 

 causes the owner to look for the reason of the shrinkage. 



The habit of keeping records makes one more observant of all the 

 little details that make the difference between success and failure. A 

 certain amount of emulation is bound to result from comparing one cow 

 with another. The attendants will t:ike a pride in their cows, feed them 

 better, and get better results from studying each cow as an individual 

 perfonner. 



The financial aspect after a few years is very gratifying, as higher 

 prices are obtained for the progeny of the cows with a good record of 

 merit, and the cows themselves are worth much nior(> than tliose without 

 a record of any kind. 



Keeping of records and the use of tlie Babcock tester arc everything 

 in the dairying business. Do you weigh and tost your milk? If not, 

 start now. 



(b) SELECT YOUR BULL. 

 By Alex. Mess, Dairy Supervisor. 



Althnngh the average farmer cannot afford to commence with a herd 

 of pure-l)red cows, he, on the other liand, should, at any rcasonnblo cost, 

 ])njcuro a pure-bred hull. 



