PROFIT FROM THE DAIRY 123 



Intelligent selection, breeding and keeping accu- 

 rate records of each cow's production, use of the 

 Babcock tester in determining the amount of butter 

 fat contained in each cow's milk and the prompt 

 elimination from the herd of all cows not producing 

 milk in paying quantities, will go a long way 

 toward this end. A careful and systematic test- 

 ing for disease, so that no animals will be kept 

 which are not in perfect physical condition, will 

 stop a great deal more waste. A keen appreciation 

 of the principles of feeding and the use in the 

 dairy of feeds and feeding methods calculated to 

 stimulate milk production to its highest point, 

 will be found not the least important detail to be 

 considered. 



The farmer, first of all, must have a definite idea 

 of what constitutes dairy type in cows, and then 

 select such breeding stock as most nearly conform 

 to this ideal. It is folly to maintain for exclusive 

 dairy purposes a cow of marked beef type. There 

 is as much difference between the dairy type and 

 the beef type as there is between a draft horse 

 and a racer. The farmer should familiarize 

 himself with these points of difference and 

 make use of them in choosing his foundation 

 stock. In his breeding operations he should 

 constantly select as the animals which he in- 

 tends to keep not only the best appearing in- 

 dividuals in his herd, but those which are the off- 

 spring of cows having satisfactory dairy records. 

 These cows he will know because of the tests he 

 has made to determine their milk and butter pro- 

 duction. By selecting foundation stock in this way 

 and by rearing the best offspring, a paying herd, 

 producing high-grade milk may be built up in a 

 comparatively short time. 



