ORGANIZATION AND LEADERSHIP 81 



the like. He also found a considerable number of com- 

 mercial cooperative organizations working more or less 

 successfully. There was little, if any, organization, the 

 primary purpose of which was increased efficiency in pro- 

 duction. 



The one noteworthy exception to this was the cow test- 

 ing association. A considerable number of these organi- 

 zations had been developed as a sort of a by-product of 

 farmers' institute and early college extension work. 

 These, the county agents took hold of, strengthened, built 

 up and multiplied in numbers. The purpose of these or- 

 ganizations was, primarily, to teach better methods of 

 feeding and to discover and discard " boarder " cows by 

 the use of milk scales and the butter fat test. To the 

 county agent, this is an effective method of teaching these 

 fundamentals of good dairy husbandry. Usually begin- 

 ning with talking about this work himself and perhaps 

 doing some testing for individuals the county agent leads 

 a local neighborhood, by suggestion and assistance, to or- 

 ganize themselves into an association which can provide 

 a full month's work for a cow tester. For this purpose 

 usually twenty to thirty men are necessary. When such a 

 tester is employed, he visits the herd of each owner once a 

 month, assisting him with feeding and making general sug- 

 gestions for improvements, as well as weighing and testing 

 the milk. For this service the farmer pays the cost. 



As a result of this work, large numbers of unprofitable 

 cows have been discarded, with increased profits to indi- 

 vidual herd owners by reducing or limiting their losses. 

 Similar types of organization are cooperative bull circles, 

 or the cooperative ownership of bulls. This is a simple 

 form of production organization, but an effective one when 

 it is so conducted that a high grade pure-bred bull replaces 

 a scrub sire. County agents have also rendered much as- 



