86 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



at the general agricultural situation and compare the returns 

 from milk with those from other farm products, when we 

 also take into account the uncertainties connected with them 

 and the regular demand for milk, — the outlook is in the 

 main encouraging. 



The Chairman. An opportunity will now be given for 

 discussion on this most important subject, or for asking 

 questions of the lecturer. 



Mr. Geo. E. Taylor (of Shelburne). The question I 

 would like to ask is this : If I understand the speaker 

 aright, breeding for more milk produces a poorer quality, 

 and I would ask if that necessarily follows. 



Mr. Whitaker. It does not necessarily follow, but the 

 tendency is that way. 



Mr. Taylor. Do you think, if due caution is exercised, 

 that poor quality will follow ? 



Mr. Whitaker. That is a question in breeding that I 

 should hardly want to answer positively. 



Secretary Sessions. I suppose what Mr. Whitaker 

 means is that the farmers naturally turn to the cow that will 

 give the most milk ; they save the calves from the cows that 

 give the most milk, and in a community where they sell 

 milk they sell their Jersey cows. In my own community a 

 man had a herd of cows. He made a bargain to sell his 

 milk, and went to a neighbor and swapped his Jersey cows 

 for those giving a larger quantity of milk, without regard 

 to quality. 



Mr. Taylor. You said that the average man or the 

 farmer might, with the Babcock test, know just what he 

 is doing. Do you think the average farmer is capable 

 of running the Babcock test so that he will do the work 

 accurately ? 



Mr. Whitaker. There is no doubt he can do it with 

 sufficient accuracy to satisfy himself whether his milk is 

 up to the standard or not. 



Mr. E. A. Harwood (of North Brookfield). You said 

 the milk from the Brookfield car was above the average and 

 the milk from the. other car was below. I would ask if you 



