42 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I.916. 



minds of their formulators, nor as final. The definitive rules 

 for the conduct of future tests have not yet been drawn up ">y 

 the Aroostook Jersey Breeders' Association. The only definite 

 and final rules in connection with the whole matter are tho^e 

 governing the award of the American Jersey Cattle Club's cup. 

 These rules are set forth in the next section (see p. 45). 



As actually carried out the first test operated under the fol- 

 lowing rules : 



1. Heifers dropped in the calendar year 19 13 were eligible 

 to compete in the Test. 



2. The production of butter fat in a period of 7 days, all 

 of the heifers being tested at the same time in the same barn, 

 was taken as a basis for the placing of the awards. 



3. In order to put all heifers on a perfectly fair and equita- 

 ble comparative basis, the actual milk and fat production 

 records were corrected for the age and stage of lactation of 

 each heifer at the time when the Test was made. These cor- 

 rections for age and stage of lactation were based on correc- 

 tion tables covering these points which have been worked out 

 in the Biological Laboratory of the Maine Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station and will shortly be published in full. The 

 corrections rest on a much sounder scientific basis than tho;-e 

 made by any other plan hitherto devised. In particular they 

 are much more just and accurate than the rules for taking 

 account of age in the testing of cows for advanced registry by 

 any of the registry associations in this country. The actual 

 table on the basis of which the records of the 191 5 Futurity 

 Test were corrected is published as Table 2 of the present 

 writer's "Report of Progress on Animal Husbandry Investi- 

 gations in 1915", page 5*. 



4. Each owner having one or more heifers entered in the 

 Test was required to provide whatever he wanted fed to his 

 animals beyond hay and potatoes. These parts of the ration 

 were furnished by the Station. Each owner was allowed per- 

 fect choice as to what his animals should be fed during the 

 Test. This seemed much fairer than it would have been to 

 put all the heifers on the same ration. In case any owner failed 

 to furnish instructions as to how his animals should be fed 



*Me. Agr. Expt. Station Circular No. 519, Dec. 1915, pp. 1-28. 



