No. 123.] DAIRYING AND ANLMAL HUSBANDRY. 25 



increase, — all of which indicates that the dairy farmer is 

 working to improve the efficiency of his cattle. There are now 

 five cow-testing associations, which is the greatest number 

 ever operating in this State. These include 98 herds and 

 almost 1,800 cows. The annual report of the Southern Berk- 

 shire County Association shows that the average production 

 per cow per year was G,764 pounds of milk containing 269.3 

 pounds of fat, showing again that the dairy farmers are striving 

 to develop efficient herds. 



Furthermore, the dairy farmers have taken a greater inter- 

 est in co-operative marketing, and have organized co-operative 

 dairy companies to assure themselves of a market for their milk 

 and to serve the public in their communities with a high 

 quality Massachusetts produced milk. There are six producers' 

 co-operative milk distributing plants operating in the State, 

 and two additional plants are under consideration. 



There is an increase in the amount of certified milk produced 

 in the State. Seven farmers with approximately 775 cows 

 are now^ producing this qualit^y of milk, which is delivered in 

 twelve cities. 



The growing demand for special high quality milk has en- 

 couraged many dairymen to respond to this material expres- 

 sion of appreciation from the public, and increasing quantities 

 of high quality milk are being offered to meet the demand. 



The consumption of milk has increased during the past year 

 in the various Massachusetts cities. Reports of the Depart- 

 ment of Public Utilities show 169,000,000 quarts of milk shipped 

 into Boston during the past year, which is an increase of 

 4,000,000 quarts over last year and an increase of 14,000,000 

 quarts over 1919. Milk is available to the pupils in 500 schools 

 in Massachusetts cities and towns, resulting in increased effi- 

 ciency among pupils. 



Demonstration Sheep Farms. 



The demonstration sheep farms are centers of service and in- 

 formation for the sheep raisers of their respective territories. 

 During the year they have had 1,079 visitors and have given 

 13 demonstrations at the farms. Four hundred and thirty- 



