THE ECONOMIC ASPECT OF MILK PRODUCTION 579 



logic and improvement of the product is the consequence. The 

 tester figures the amount of milk drawn per year, the amount 

 of butter-fat produced and the cost of food consumed by each 

 cow, and the herd owner is thereby placed in possession of the 

 facts which will enable him to weed out unprofitable animals and 

 increase the productivity of his herd. 



The expense to members of cow-testing associations is small. 

 The general rule is that each member pays $1.00 a year for each 

 cow he owns, and this money constitutes the salary of the tester. 

 In addition, the members pay 25 cents a year dues, which goes 

 toward paying for chemicals, etc. The tester gets his board and 

 lodging free at the place where the tests are made. 



The benefits of cow testing are graphically illustrated by Neg- 

 ley and Harris in the chart (Fig. 232). 



McDowell has recently gathered some valuable statistics 

 showing the value of cow-testing associations. While the aver- 

 age production of dairy cows in the United States is 160 pounds of 

 butter-fat, the average production of the cows of forty associa- 

 tions was 247 pounds. The income increase resulting from greater 

 butter-fat production is shown by the author in the following table: 



RELATION OF BUTTER-FAT PRODUCTION TO INCOME OVER COST OF FEED. AVERAGE 

 RESULTS FROM 5587 YEARLY RECORDS OF FORTY COW-TESTING ASSOCIATIONS 



Average production Average income over 



of butter-fat. cost of feed. 



100 pounds per year $ 5.00 



150 " " " . . 21.00 



200 

 250 

 300 

 350 

 400 

 450 

 500 



34.00 

 50.00 

 63.00 

 74.00 

 87.00 

 100.00 

 118.00 



The same author states that some associations make it pos- 

 sible for their members to own a share in a good bull. If each 

 member instead of purchasing a scrub bull would contribute the 

 price toward the purchase of a pure-bred bull the latter could be 

 purchased for the use of all members of the association, and the 

 offspring would be proportionately valuable. In one association 

 of 17 daughters of selected bulls 16 excelled their dams. 



Some of these associations do not limit their activities to cow 

 testing, but place the products on the market more advantage- 

 ously than a single producer could, and arrange for the disposal 

 of surplus milk for butter making or other purposes. Other 

 associations care for the purchase of fodder, and by co-operation 

 supplies are bought on a large scale so that the outlay is smaller 

 than it would be for individual purchases. 



Recently co-operative bull associations have been organized for 



