ORGANISATION. 187 



Live stock is dealt with, on co-operative lines, with 

 advantage, for other purposes than the sale of fat beasts. 

 Reference has already been made to cow testing, which is 

 gradually spreading in this country, after having for a long 

 time back proved a most valuable adjunct to dairying in 

 Switzerland, in Germany and, above all, in the Scandinavian 

 countries. Sweden, more in particular, has a distinguished 

 record in cow testing, and has benefited by it to a remark- 

 able degree. On the Continent cow testing is much combined 

 with general supervision and advice on most agricultural 

 practices or questions, under the title of " Control." Speci- 

 fically to the province of dairying it has rendered excellent 

 services, not only in teaching farmers to " weed out " 

 poorly yielding cows — of which class of animals there is 

 an alarmingly great number — and study the composition 

 of their herds of good milkers ; helping thereby to improve 

 national cattle breeding by directing breeders' attention, 

 long after this should have been done, from the one-sided 

 worship of " form " and " points," to the more practical 

 consideration of " yield," but also in inculcating better 

 notions and knowledge on cow keeping and feeding. Not 

 a little economy has been introduced into feeding on the 

 advice of " Control " officers, by the substitution of cheaper 

 rations, possessing the same nutritive value, for dearer 

 ones. Also the health of cattle has been improved, by 

 more careful attention, under good advice, to the sanitary 

 requirements of animals. Although other methods than 

 Co-operation may be made useful for such purpose, if there 

 is a kind fairy godmother present to provide the necessary 

 cash. Co-operation, placing the direction of the matter 

 in the hands of those who are to benefit by it, is by far 

 the most recommendable. In this country and in America 

 the " Control " system — to give it its Continental name — 

 has been hmited to simple cow testing. After a period of 

 hesitancy, it has been taken up with some zeal in Scotland. 

 And in England it is spreading. The United States, three 

 years ago counted about 200 cow-testing associations within 

 their borders, with a membership of more than 5,500 farmers 

 and applying to more than 100,000 cows. 



