128 IMPORTA\ T CE OF COW TESTING 



Her worth was only determined after her owner took 

 steps to have her tested. These figures revealed the re- 

 markable fact that in less than a year she produced i,iii 

 pounds of butter, or more butter than is being produced 

 by seven average Nebraska cows. 



Dairymen need a variety of fodder crops. With sum- 

 mer drouths always possible, it is a good plan to have a 

 field of rye and clover sown in the fall. This, like the 

 first cutting of alfalfa, will be ready quite early. For 

 midsummer emergencies it is well to have soy beans, cow- 

 peas, millet or alfalfa. Cowpeas and oats may be sown 

 together for a late hay crop. 



Just west of Omaha, in Douglas County, is located a 

 very prosperous, progressive farming community. Here 

 the price of farm land is already in the neighborhood of 

 $200 per acre. In this locality and in this connection it 

 is of interest to note that the farmer who years ago could 

 not be forced into dairying, has now turned to it and is 

 getting satisfactory results. These farmers fully realize 

 the importance of keeping accurate records of the amount 

 of milk and fat produced by each cow in the herd. They 

 also realized that through a co-operative cow-testing asso- 

 ciation the expense of obtaining these records would be 

 very materially reduced and the Douglas County Cow- 

 Testing Association was organized. The members of 

 this association entered 21 herds, comprising some 435 

 cows. The work of the tester consisted in keeping ac- 

 curate records of the amount of milk and butter-fat pro- 

 duced by every cow in the various herds and also in mak- 

 ing careful estimates of the feed consumed by these 

 cows. To do so he had to spend one day each month 

 with every herd belonging to the association. In addi- 

 tion to this work this man was ever ready with sugges- 

 tions as to how the rations could be improved for eco- 

 nomical milk and butter-fat production. 



The following table shows the difference between ten 



