146 THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF 



failed. Let us suppose, hov/ever, that a 

 man who possesses some knowledge of dairy 

 cows proposes to take a holding and to form 

 a little herd of four : what is his best method 

 of procedure in making a selection; should he 

 attend a sale of pedigree stock where he can 

 rely upon the information in the catalogue? 

 We think not. On such occasions the best 

 cows usually realise fancy prices. Should he 

 attend a market, fair, or auction sale and use 

 his judgment? We think he would be unwise. 

 No facts would be forthcoming, and judgment 

 is very fallible. We should recommend one 

 of two courses : a visit to a few well-known 

 bre:^ders of dairy cov/s who will be able to 

 point to the dams and the sire of the stock 

 they have for sale, or an application to a 

 dealer of reputation. A reliable dealer can 

 almost invariably place his hand upon first- 

 class cows if the buyer is willing to pay a 

 good price, but in either case the best-looking 

 milkers should be milked clean in the presence 

 of the proposed buyer both morning and 

 evening, and the milk accurately weighed, 

 a gallon being estimated to weigh roundly 

 10 lb. A sample should then be taken from 

 the well-stirred volume at each milking and 

 tested by the Gerber Tester, which every 



