BUREAU or ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 91 



dence of interest and progress in the improvement of dairy stock. 

 Good results of the work for the development of the creamery indus- 

 try are the growing popularity on the market of Mississippi butter 

 and the fact that local creameries of central Tennessee are proving 

 successful. The benefits of eradicating the cattle ticks are being 

 realized more and more in the advancement of the dairy industry. 



WESTERN DAIBYING. 



During the first half of the fiscal year the extension work for the 

 development of the dairy industi*y in the Far West was continued 

 under unfavorable conditions, such as a shortage of labor, high prices 

 of feed, and uncertain markets. Later, however, conditions were 

 much improved. Dairy st'^ck has been in great demand and there 

 has been a widespread n.ovement among producers to obtain pure- 

 bred bulls. As a result of good cooperation among Federal, State, 

 and county agents, cow-testing work has been given renewed life, 

 bull-association work has been extended, and considerable interest 

 has been taken in the utilization of creamery by-products. Silo con- 

 struction has made gieater progress than during any previous year. 

 Agents of the Dairy Division assisted directly in the erection of 500 

 silos, which represent only a small part of the total number erected. 



COW-TESTINO ASSOCIATIONS. 



Cow-testing associations, the formation and operation of which 

 are encouraged and supervised by the Dairy Division, are made up 

 of groups of dairymen who collectively hire a tester to keep i"ecords 

 on production, butter fat test, and other data concerning each cow. 

 During the first half of the fiscal year practically all testers were in 

 military service and the work of the associations suffered severely. 

 Since the return of the soldiers to civil life there has been a revival 

 of association work and a marked increase in the number of active 

 associations. The total number of associations that were active 

 July 1, 1919, was 385, representing 10,000 herds with 167,313 cows, 

 compared with 353 associations active July 1, 1918, representing 

 9,778 herds with 108,348 cows. Oklahoma, South Carolina, and 

 Texas reported active associations for the first time. Wisconsin con- 

 tinues to lead in the number of asvsociations, with a total of 103, 

 Pennsylvania ranking second with 38, Illinois third with 27, and 

 Ohio fourth with 25. The associations continue to practice exten- 

 sively the cooperative buying of feed. In Michigan an agent in 

 dairying selected feeds for one association which resulted in a 

 saving of $3,000. 



STUDY OF COW-TESTING KECOEDS. 



The tabulation of records of 38,532 daiiy cows from 110 cow-test- 

 ing associations is nearing completion. The tabulations have brought 

 out a number of interesting relations Ixitween milk production, but- 

 terfat test, butterfat production, and income over cost of feed. 

 The average milk production was 5,936 pounds per cow and the 

 average butterfat production 246 pounds. For each 50 pounds 

 increase in production of butterfat there was an average increase 

 of $15 in income over cost of feed. In the case of each breed an 

 increase in the use of the butterfat test was accompanied by an 



