THE DAIRY HERD 



61 



while others produce only seven or eight months; and 

 (3) estimates of this kind fail to consider that some 

 cows that yield heavily for a short time and then drop 

 off to a medium flow, may be exceeded in total pro- 

 duction by others that never yield heavily at any period, 

 but whose flow is quite steady from beginning to end 

 of the lactation period. 



It is evident from what has been 

 said that there is but one method by 

 which we can tell with certainty the 

 value of the individual cows in a 

 herd, and that method consists in 

 weighing and testing the milk and 

 keeping a record of the feed con- 

 sumed for the entire period of lacta- 

 tion. 



Daily Record of Milk. Keep- 

 ing a daily record of the weight of 

 the milk of each cow is a very sim- 

 ple and inexpensive task. All that 

 is necessary is to have some form of 

 scales and a ruled sheet of paper 

 upon which to record the weights of 

 milk morning and night. Fig. n 

 shows a cheap and convenient scales 

 which weigh from one-tenth pound 

 to 30 pounds. A convenient milk 

 record sheet is shown below. 



The daily weighing of the milk 

 from each cow is valuable also in 

 serving as a check upon the work of 

 the milkers. A rapid shrinking in the milk is easily 

 detected on the milk sheet and may be entirely due to 



Pier. 11. Milk Scales. 

 Weigh 0.1 to 30 pounds. 



