

VALUE OF MILK RECORDS 169 



discover and discard poor and unprofitable milkers. 

 The quality of the milk is also ascertained, and in this 

 way each animal has a "milking" pedigree which is a 

 marketable commodity, seeing that it will either increase 

 or mar the selling price of the animal. 



When milk records are kept, cows can be fed 

 according to their milk yield, which is the only logical 

 way. These records give the owner important informa- 

 tion with regard to the variation of composition due 

 to period of lactation, season of the year, or other 

 causes. Although a gallon of milk weighs from io 

 to loj Ibs., it is generally sufficiently near and much 

 more convenient in these records to consider 10 Ibs. 

 milk as being equal to I gall., seeing that measuring 

 the milk is rather unsatisfactory. 



In order to encourage the breeding of dairy cows 

 which give a large yield of good quality milk, and at 

 the same time yield a large quantity of butter-fat each 

 year, the Brit 1 ' h Dairy Farmers' Association 1 give 

 valuable prizes annually at the London Dairy Show 

 on the following scale of points : 



Milking Trials and Inspection Prizes. 



The points to be awarded in the milking trials will 

 be as under : 



One point for every ten days since calving, de- 

 ducting the first forty days, with a maximum of 

 twelve points. 



One point for every pound of milk yielded per 

 day, taking the average of two days' yield. 



1 The Board of Agriculture are now encouraging the keeping 

 of milk records in England, by making grants from the Develop- 

 ment Fund to those counties which carry out the scheme. 



