DAIRY CATTLE AND THE DAIRY FARM 113 



It is best to have the herd composed of a single breed of cattle, but 

 where heavy producing animals are used to supply milk to the public 

 some keep a few cows of the breeds that test high in butterfat in order 

 to hold the herd milk well above the legal requirements and to impart 

 color to the milk as well as to help secure a sharp cream line. 



Importance of a Purebred Bull. Few farmers can afford purebred 

 herds which would be serious were it not possible, by the use of a purebred 

 bull, and by raising his heifer calves to breed up a grade herd that will 

 compare favorably with and perhaps even surpass the production of a 

 purebred herd. Progressive dairymen fully appreciate this and in many 

 places maintain bull associations which enable the farmer of moderate 

 means to secure service of the best animals. Normally a scrub bull 

 depresses the milk and butterfat production of a herd and a purebred 

 bull raises it but sometimes a purebred animal is a failure. The fitness 

 of a bull to head a herd is judged by his conformation and the records 

 of his female progenitors in milk and butterfat production. The test of 

 his fitness is his ability to maintain the vigor of the herd and beget 

 daughters with better records of milk and butterfat production than their 

 dams. 



Importance of Testing Cows. A good judge of cattle, guided by his 

 expert knowledge of type and form can pick out animals so shrewdly 

 that the herd will contain but few poor ones. However, there are always 

 those that do not work out according to form and the difference between 

 the best performers and the worst is considerable. Indeed, between 

 cows of the same breed there is likely to be as much variation as regards 

 quantity and quality of milk production as there is between cows of 

 different breeds. Moreover many dairymen lack the knowledge to 

 enable them to select good milk-producing cows for their herds. 

 Precise knowledge of the actual value of a cow as a producer of milk 

 and butterfat can be obtained only by the use of scales and the Babcock 

 butterfat tester. The milk of each cow should be weighed at every 

 milking both because it gives the basis for rational feeding and because 

 it measures the cows capability as a milk producer. The milk of each 

 cow may be sampled at every milking and used to form a composite 

 sample that is kept sweet by an added preservative and tested for butter- 

 fat at the end of a week, or samples may be taken and tested less 

 frequently. From these tests and the amount of milk given by the 

 cow her total butterfat production can be computed. So, it is possible 

 to determine whether the cow is a profit maker or a star boarder. The 

 importance of thus keeping tally on the cow's performance has been shown 

 over and over again both abroad and in this country. Figures illustrative 

 of what may be learned from such records are given by W. J. Fraser. 



The dairy department of the University of Illinois bought the best 

 and poorest cows from six different herds, brought them to the Uni- 



