HERD IMPROVEMENT 185 



Of course, a farmer cannot join a cow-testing association unless 

 there is one in his neighborhood, or unless he can persuade sufficient 

 of his neighbors to form one. On the other hand, there is nothing 

 that the expert employed by an association does that a dairyman 

 cannot do for himself if he will. In fact, he can have more com- 

 plete and more accurate methods thereby, and there are other 

 advantages that will be mentioned. 



307. Weighing the milk.— To get a record of the amount of 

 milk, all that is required is a spring balance. Many milk scales 

 are on the market which have two indicators, one of which can be 

 set according to the weight of the pail, making it possible to read 

 the weight of the milk directly. Such a balance will cost about $5. 

 Where a farmer has his own balance he can weigh his milk oftener 

 than once a month as is done in an association, and thus have a 

 more accurate record of production. He should do it at least once 

 a week and preferably at each milking. It is not much trouble to 

 hang the pail on the balance at the end of the milking and record 

 the weight of milk on a record sheet tacked up in a convenient 

 place. In fact, many members of cow-testing associations weigh 

 their milk frequently during the month and turn the figures over 

 to the tester when he comes around, thus enabling him to make 

 more accurate calculations. 



308. Testing the milk.— The determination of fat requires a 

 special apparatus, — the Babcock tester. The cost of such a tester 

 will depend on its size — that is, on the number of samples of milk 

 that can be tested at once. For a herd of 15 cows, a tester holding 

 eight samples is a satisfactory size. Such a tester complete with 

 necessary glassware will cost around $18. A run with such a tester 

 can be made in an hour. Two runs would take care of the 15 

 cows. A careful test once a month will give a fair idea of the fat 

 content. 



309. Keeping the records. — To keep a record of the feed 

 there should be a sheet on which there can be recorded just what 

 each cow is getting at the start — say, the first of the month. Then 

 all that is required is to make a record when the feed is changed, 

 which will not be often. Even if the farmer makes no change he 



