96 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



other men making a good deal more money by the use of 

 a different judgment ? Yes ! 



We must next reduce the cost of production by a wiser 

 selection of our cows. The butter from a cow which pro- 

 duces only 150 pounds a year costs more than double that 

 which is produced by a 300-pound cow. The first practical 

 step in this cow question, then, should be to reduce the 

 number of our cows and increase their capacity. That^is 

 our end of the string. We can control things somewhat, 

 if we will, at that end. On how many farms can you see 

 that end lying loose and neglected, and the farmer straining 

 his eyes to look at the market end, over which he has so 

 little control. How shall we increase capacity? First, by 

 paying more attention to the laws of sound dairy breeding. 

 Second, by striving to know more than we do about dairy 

 feeding and management. How many men in this audience 

 have provided themselves with a Babcock test? It requires 

 but a small outlay, and it is the thing of all others to put 

 know in place of guess. How many men here are really 

 trying to make first-class students of dairy breeding ? How 

 many men here are readers and students of dairy literature 

 on that and other questions ? 



Let us take a little evidence on this question : — 



Mr. Geo. R. Sneath of San Francisco, Cal., who milks 

 a herd, averaging 500 cows in number, for the market of 

 that city, says, in a recent letter to "Hoard's Dairyman," 

 "Our standard for a fairly good cow is 5,000 pounds of 

 milk in eight months, or between calves. All below 3,000 

 pounds, except heifers with first calf, are discarded." 



That man sets up a standard ; that is the first thing to do. 

 Establish a standard of performance on the part of your 

 cows, then breed towards it, feed towards it, and keep the 

 weeder constantly at work. It does not require a large 

 herd ; indeed, the man with a small herd can do more per 

 cow than the dairyman with a large herd. There are a 

 number of patrons of Hoard's creameries to-day with ten 

 cows who are making double the profit, in a sum total, than 

 other patrons who keep twenty cows. But the successful 

 men have clear, definite ideas, and they work towards them. 



