102 The Farmer's Business Handbook 



weight of the heaviest one is determined, and 

 then the lighter ones are brought up to this 

 weight by attaching small masses of solder to 

 the bottoms, also protecting them from wear. It 

 is not unusual to find that one cow is producing 

 twice as much milk as another in the same 

 herd and, while the former may consume more 

 food than the latter, the care-taker knows, now 

 that he has taken account of the respective 

 yearly production of the cows, that the one is 

 profitable and that the other is kept at a loss; 

 although, without weighing the food consumed 

 and determining the total butter- fats, he may 

 not be able to determine the exact profits arising 

 from the one or the losses from the other. The 

 care-taker's judgment cannot be trusted as to 

 the total yearly production of each cow in the 

 herd. He must weigh and record the milk before 

 he begins that never-to-be-neglected yearly pro- 

 cess of "weeding -out." If the herd is to be im- 

 proved rapidly, not only should the daily and 

 yearly production of milk of each cow be known, 

 but the yearly production of butter-fats, and, 

 approximately, the amount and cost of each cow's 

 food. 



To the dairyman who lays great stress on push- 

 ing his work, and who tries to get on with the 

 fewest possible workmen, the daily weighing and 

 recording of each cow's food appears to be not 



