GRADE HOLSTEINS. 



83 



tion of the results of a dairy conference held at Cedarsburg, N. Y., writes Mr. 

 Dudley Miller in February, 1890. 



At these conferences practical instruction in the art of butter making is 

 given, and frequently, as in this case, by that excellent butter maker, W. H. 

 Gilbert of Richland, president of our State Dairymen's Association. 



President Gilbert ships his butter nearly 300 miles, to the Hotel Brunswick, 

 New York, and receives a handsome price for it the year round. The same 

 hotel is supplied with cream from President Gilbert's farm. It is shipped in tin 

 cans covered with felt jackets, to preserve an even cool temperature. 



At the Cedarsburg dairy conference a churning was made with 200 Ibs. of 

 milk from Jersey and Guernsey full bloods and high grades. This milk was 

 produced by 23^- cows (so reckoned), or an average of 8.57 Ibs. at each milking 

 per cow. 



The 200 Ibs. of milk produced 191 oz. of butter, or an average, for each cow 

 per milking, of 8.19 oz. Thus it required in round numbers a pound of this milk 

 for an ounce of butter. 



At another churning of 200 Ibs. of milk from grade Holsteins, produced by 

 eleven cows at one milking each, averaging per cow for milking 18 18 Ibs., 101 

 oz. of butter was made, or an average for each cow per milking of 9.18oz., 

 requiring nearly 2 Ibs. of milk to 1 oz. of butter. 



Here we have the actual results of a practical test between full bloods and 

 high grade Jerseys and Guernseys on the one hand and grade Holsteins on the 

 other. In tabulated form the results are as follows: 



The adherents of Jerseys and Guernseys may look at this table, smile com- 

 placently, and lecture on the quality of milk of their favorites, dilating on the 

 fact that it required but little over a pound of milk for an ounce of butter, 

 whereas the Holsteins furnished such poor milk that it took nearly 2 Ibs. to 

 make 1 oz. of butter. 



Why ! they say in Massachusetts that Holstein milk does not come up to 

 the standard fixed by law. 



The Holstein man who keeps less than half the number of cows (11 to 23) 

 to produce the same amount of milk (200 Ibs.), which is more digestible and 

 hence better for man and beast, is not at all troubled, as he is making more 

 money than his friends who are crying skim milk, and at the same time he is 

 furnishing the public with more wholesome milk. 



Of course it would be the sheerest folly to attempt to make butter of skim- 

 milk, "milk below the Massachusetts standard," in the opinion of Jersey and 

 Guernsey breeders. 



However, the foolish Holstein man fetches his "skim-milk" to the Cedars- 

 burg conference, where it has to compete with that of the special purpose 

 Jersey and Guernsey butter breeds. When lo ! and behold ! these despised pro- 

 ducers of skim-milk, of milk below the Massachusetts standard, in public at 

 this New York State Dairymen's conference at Cedarsburg, make an average of 

 over 10 per cent more butter per cow than the much lauded pet of the fancy 

 farmer, the Jersey and Guernsey. 



It is hard to be compelled to bear the taunts of those who are continually 

 throwing the "skim-milk" characteristics of the Holsteins into their owners' 

 faces, but as long as these despised cows produce over 10 per cent more butter 

 and over 100 per cent more milk than the Jerseys or Guernseys, their breeders 

 will probably continue in their foolish ways and stick to the Holstein. 



