186 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN^ ASSOCIATION. 



PAPER NO. 2. 



A daily record of the weight of milk given by each 

 cow in a dairy herd is, of itself alone, of very little 

 value in determining* the relative value of each cow 

 composing the herd, because the weight of the milk is 

 no indication of its quality. The practice of keeping- 

 such a record is, however, of sufficient value to abun- 

 dantly repay for the expense incurred. Such a record 

 is a valuable indicator of the physical condition of the 

 different animals. Any material irregularity in the 

 amount of milk given by any cow indicates something 

 out of order in the cow's health, or in the feed or water 

 or treatment. 



Weighing- the milk shows the importance of milking 

 the cows regularly at even intervals of time. 



The effect of such a record is most salutary upon 

 those doing the milking. It creates a greater interest 

 in the work of milking, creating a spirit of emulation 

 among the milkers to have the cows in their charge 

 excel the others in the quantity of milk given; and 

 when the weighing is done in plain sight, the effect is 

 better quality of work being done, and rarely will any 

 cows be left half milked. 



Such records show the effect of slow or incompetent 

 milkers, the yield of the milk varying with the skill 

 of the milker. 



But how r ever useful these incidental results of such 

 a record may be, if it is coupled with some easy method 

 of calculating the quality of each cow's milk, the know- 

 ledge thus gained of the real merit of each cow m the 

 herd will supersede all these other advantages. The 

 Eabcock test is the only simple and accurate method 

 by which the quality of milk may be measured. With 

 the use of this test and the scales the dairyman soon 



