108 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



not touch quite enough on that subject, I am a little more 

 conservative than he is on the dairy " form." It is true that 

 the cardinal principle consists in finding out the productive 

 capacity of the cow, — whether it cannot be found out from 

 the form, the wedge shape ; but it must be found out only by 

 the scales and test. Here's a point, and it is a painful one, 

 put in the form of the question: How many farmers, how 

 many producers of dairy products, whether milk or butter, in 

 the State of Massachusetts know the number that are paying 

 them a profit and the number that are paying them a loss ? 

 There are some very shrewd men, shrewd observers, who sell 

 milk and have milked, who can tell pretty closely about what 

 a cow is producing in a year. But I venture the statement 

 that three-fourths of all the farmers dealing in milk in Massa- 

 chusetts do not know, in their individual herds, which cows 

 are paying a profit and which a loss. Now, there are a good 

 many things which cause agriculture to be a hard field from 

 which to make a living, I grant that. But if you are going to 

 carry on your business in that way, I want to know how you 

 can expect to make a success of it ? If that is true — that the 

 farmers don't know which are paying a profit and which a 

 loss — isn't it about time that they found out ? Now, then, 

 there comes the cow-testing association. The " New England 

 Homestead," through its very energetic assistant editor, has 

 made a precedent, and determined to organize this association 

 in Massachusetts ; but, so far as I am aware, none has been 

 started yet. Last spring I prepared a circular, in order to 

 give very briefly, in outline, how the farmer could help him- 

 self by testing his own cows, by weighing his own milk at 

 home; and I have had some applications for those circulars. 

 This fall I thought it would be a good idea to interest the 

 creameries of the State; and therefore I wrote each one of 

 them a personal letter, and said : " We have prepared a circu- 

 lar on this subject, and will supply these to you at cost, which 

 is very trivial. I wish you would see if you cannot take some 

 of these and distribute them around among your patrons, and 

 see if you cannot interest them." Not one reply have I had 

 to that circular and the personal letter accompanying it. I 



