20 AMERICAN DAIRYING. 



of sufficient weight to be considered when 

 comparing 250-lb. cows with 350 to 400-lb. 

 cows. 



The question of the ability of cows to pro- 

 duce the most from the food consumed is an 

 important one and should be followed as soon 

 as we can reach it. 



Cows in debt to us.— ^But let us first weed 

 out the cows that are getting in debt to us, and 

 the number of such cows in the country is 

 alarming. I believe a majority of the cows in 

 the United States could be made profitable by 

 proper feed and care, but the majority as now 

 fed and cared for are evidently not profitable. 

 The last United States census estimates the 

 average amount of milk per cow annually at 

 2,883 lbs., which, it would be fair to suppose, 

 would make 130 lbs. of butter. I do not know 

 of a place in the United States where a 130-lb. 

 cow can be made profitable. 



Buy a Babeock tester. — If you have no con- 

 venient way of getting your samples of milk 

 tested buy a Babeock test machine and do your 

 own testing. The dealers send full instruc- 

 tions with the machines and any person with 

 average intelligence can learn in a short time 

 to operate one. This will be the most satis- 

 factory way in the end and the cost will not be 

 great. Every dairyman with ten cows can 

 afford to have one. In fact no dairyman can 



