106 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



FORMING LOCAL COW-TESTING ASSOCIATIONS. 



BY MR. G. C. SEVEY, SPRINGFIELD. 



A pertinent question to-day is, Are you making money in 

 the dairy ? Are you getting returns commensurate with pos- 

 sibilities ? If not, there are just two ways, and only two, by 

 which your profits can be increased. You might obtain 

 higher prices for your product, or you might lower the cost 

 of production ; either way is bound to mean increased profits. 

 More is usually said abont increased prices than about lower- 

 ing the cost of production, and that, in my opinion, is where 

 many make a grave mistake. 



Briefly, and without frills, I call your attention to a method 

 of greatly reducing your cost of production in the dairy herd. 

 A big majority of you already know the method, but the 

 trouble is that in too many cases you do not follow up that 

 knowledge to your greatest advantage. I refer to weighing 

 and testing the product of the dairy herd methodically and 

 periodically. In a gathering of progressive agriculturists, 

 like this, one need not waste time by pointing out the many 

 advantages, and, in fact, the great necessity, of knowing which 

 animals are " robbers " or " star boarders," and which are 

 making a reasonable profit. You very well know that it is 

 necessary nine times in ten, if the balance is to show on the 

 right side of the ledger. Then why do you not do it ? That 

 is the question. I know some of you do, and I have yet to 

 learn of a single man who gave up the little extra work this 

 entailed after he had gotten a taste of -the actual dollars and 

 cents — • cold cash- — the practice returned him. 



In my opinion, this seeming indifference of dairymen is 

 easily explained. They have the impression that testing 



