TESTING THE FARM HERD 63 



see what would have been the result had she 

 produced sufficient fat for 200 pounds of butter 

 only. This butter at the same rate would have 

 brought $54, and the farmer's profit would have 

 been but $4, or less than one-eleventh as much 

 as that of the first cow. In other words, the 

 first cow is worth more to the dairyman than 

 eleven of the second. 



Loss on 150 pounds of butter production per 

 cow. Looking at it from still another point of 

 view, suppose another cow can produce but 150 

 pounds of butter annually, what is she worth? 

 Let us see. At twenty-seven cents per pound 

 this amount of butter is worth $40.50, or $9.50 

 less than it costs to keep the cow that pro- 

 duced it. 



Where dairying has been tried and abandoned 

 as unprofitable, in nine cases out of ten it has 

 been because the farmer kept just this kind of 

 cow. How necessary then that he should know 

 just what each member of his herd is worth to 

 him. He can know this if he is willing to spend 

 the time and effort necessary to weigh and test 

 the milk of each cow in his herd. 



How individual tests are made. The test is 

 made in the following manner: A bottle holding 

 about a pint is labeled, showing the name and 

 number of the cow, and into this bottle is placed 

 a piece of bichromate of potassium the size of 



