92 THE BUSINESS OF DAIRYING ^ 



keeping a record of the quantity and quality of the 

 milk product, knowing approximately the cost of 

 production and systematically weeding out the herd. 

 Many dairymen are doing this, and the following 

 examples will serve as illustrations : 



EXAMPLE i. The Babcock test was introduced in 

 a creamery and one dairyman started to test his 

 cows and found many surprises. The butter made 

 per cow ranged from 137 to 502 pounds, and the 

 average of the whole herd was 271 pounds. Out of 

 the 64 cows 21 failed to come up to his standard of 

 200 pounds annually and were sold to the butcher. 

 The second year the standard was put at 210 pounds 

 and 15 cows were disposed of. The third year the 

 standard was put at 225 pounds and he had but 6 

 to sell. The fourth year his mature cows reached 

 300 pounds of butter. He made the remark that 

 many dairies were doing better than his and that 

 there was no reason why any dairyman could not do 

 as well. The business requires time and persever- 

 ance the same as any other. 



EXAMPLE 2. A dairyman having 17 native and 

 grade Shorthorn cows found the average annual 

 yield of butter for the herd to be 125 pounds per 

 cow. This did not pay. The Babcock test was then 

 applied and in four years (1886) the average was 

 raised to 151 pounds and the cash returns were a 

 trifle over $36. In 1894 15 cows averaged 220 

 pounds of butter and $46.65 per head. In 1895 the 

 herd made an average of 234^2 pounds of butter 

 worth $47.84. During 1896 the herd averaged 301 

 pounds of butter and $52.30 per head. And in 1897 



