82 THE BUSINESS OF DAIRYING 



not able to pick out the best cow in a herd withou 

 weighing and testing. Farmers know the good an< 

 poor milkers in their herds in a general way, bu 

 only a few breeders, whether of common or pure 

 bred stock, use the scales or fat test to supply 

 definite knowledge. When the milk is not weighe< 

 the amount is almost sure to be overestimated. Th< 

 fact that a cow gives 12 to 15 quarts of milk a day 

 at a certain time does not prove that she will giv 

 5,000 pounds in a year. She must be fed and care< 

 for during the entire twelve months, and the profi 

 or loss depends upon what she will produce during 

 the entire year. Even dairymen who have bred an< 

 handled their own cows are not able to estimat 

 their yearly yield of milk, and those who hav 

 attempted it have usually come wide of the mark 

 In one instance reported, a dairyman before begin- 

 ning his test made a note of the joint opinion of him- 

 self and his sons who had done the milking in the 

 herd for years, as to the half dozen best cows in the 

 herd, and an estimate of their season's milk yield. 

 When the year's record was completed it was found 

 that, in order of actual merit, the cows stood thus : 

 First the fifth ; second a cow not on his merit list ; 

 third his fourth ; fourth his first ; fifth his sixth ; 

 sixth like the second, and his second and third still 

 lower on the list. These facts were verified by 

 subsequent records. The records showed this 

 owner* further that about one-fourth of his cows 

 were being kept at a loss, while others barely paid 

 their way. 



The record of the herd is a matter of the utmost 



