Xo. 4.] THE PROFITABLE DAIRY CX)W. 65 



stations, which prove that we dairymen have some truths to 

 learn that we should have learned long ago. Xow, for ex- 

 ample, the Illinois Experiment Station years ago published 

 a bulletin giving records of individual cows in 8 farms in 

 that State. What did the bulletin show? It showed that 

 there were 144 cows in these 8 herds for a year's test. One 

 herd made a net loss of $4.54 on each cow, some made 

 a small profit, and one got good results. Just think, 6 of 

 these 8 herds had cows that did not pay for the food they 

 consumed ! They found all sorts of records among these 

 cows; but the one that had the best showing gave 8,949 

 pounds of milk, and made 472 pounds of butter; while the 

 poorest cow produced only 1,482 pounds of milk, which 

 yielded but 68 pounds of butter. The average production 

 of butter of 7 of the herds was onl}^ 202 pounds a year ; and 

 I don't see how there is an}^ money of importance in it for 

 us if we can't beat that sort of record, so I propose to find 

 out what our cows are doing." 



It wasn't long before the whole family had begun to study 

 the daily milk record. The days crept by, and the milk 

 record grew more and more interesting. Finallv, John pro- 

 posed bu3dng a Babcock fat-testing machine, and testing the 

 individual milk of the cows for butter content. They had 

 tested the herd milk at the creamery, but this was not 

 enough. This innovation came in more easily. The fiisci- 

 nating and suggestive work of the scales was emphasized by 

 the Babcock. The months rolled by, and all the time John 

 Avas investisratinor and thinkino^. Bill Brown, their nearest 

 neighl:)or, didn't take any stock in such foolishness, and he 

 knew the Winslow family would land in the poorhouse yet. 

 He was just waiting for that joyful day, when he might say, 

 " I told you so." 



You remember that John learned something of dairy and 

 beef type when in college. After he graduated. Professor 

 ILecker of the Minnesota Experiment Station Avrote a bul- 

 letin which contained a record of his researches on dairy 

 cattle, in which he showed that cows of the dairy type had a 

 special value over the other sort. This bulletin lay on the 

 dining room table, and the old gentleman picked it up and 



