220 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



and equally important reason is that the dairyman becomes more in- 

 terested in the work if it is done on the farm. He usually assists the 

 expert with the testing and in this way acquires an understanding of 

 the principles and the use of the Babcock test which he would not 

 otherwise get. 



If a cow is in heat or temporarily out of condition on the testing 

 day, no sample of her milk is taken, as there is usually an abnormal 

 fluctuation in the fat content at such times, and the calculations 

 based upon tests taken then may be several pounds too high or too 

 low. The fact of such temporary abnormal condition is recorded in 

 the herd book, and the average of the preceding and the following 

 months' tests is used in the calculations. 



Milk fresh from cows for the first three days can not be consid- 

 ered normal, and calculations based upon a test at that time may be 

 very erroneous. It is the rule not to use the test of a cow's milk for 

 calculations until she has attained a normal condition. If she has 

 not reached this condition on testing day the following month's test 

 is used as a basis for calculation. The yield for the first three days 

 is omitted from the record, and the cow is considered as being dry 

 when she is not milked every day. 



The day upon which the test is made is called the testing day, 

 and the records obtained on that day are used as a unit for each day 

 in the period extending equal lengths of time on both sides of the 

 testing day. This period is called the testing period, and is so marked 

 off as to end exactly in the middle of the time between two testing 

 days. Observance of this rule is very important, as it materially 

 affects the accuracy of the work. The number of days in the testing 

 period is understood to include both the dates mentioned as begin- 

 ning and end of the period ; thus, if the testing period begins March 

 15 and ends April 14, there will be thirty-one days in the testing 

 period. The yields of milk and butterfat for the testing period are 

 found by multiplying the yield on the testing day by the number of 

 days in the period. The daily yield of milk is recorded in tenths 

 and the monthly yield in whole pounds, while the yield of butterfat 

 is recorded in tenths of a pound. If 12 tests are made in the year, 12 

 testing periods will result, and the sum of the records thus obtained 

 will furnish a total summary of the various items for one year. 



It is 'always advisable that the dairyman should make daily 

 weighings of each cow's milk. By doing this he will discover at once 

 any sudden fluctuation in the milk yield, and may in many cases 

 be able to locate and remedy the cause. He should also note when 

 each cow goes dry, when she is bred, the date of calving, and any 

 changes in feed during the testing period, so that he may be able to 

 give the cow tester this information when he arrives. 



A Michigan Association's Record for the First Four Years. 

 The Newaygo County Dairy Testing Association, the first cow-test- 

 ing association organized in the United States, has now been in 

 operation for a number of years. At the end _of the first year a 

 number of members withdrew from the association, but new mem- 



