30 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



upon to meet the recent demand in Southern Illinois, but these 

 animals have failed to give satisfaction. The demand for milk 

 has come to their very doors and must be met. Since they can- 

 not buy cows to suit them they are beginning to grade up their 

 herds by using the Babcock test and pure-bred sires, the im- 

 portance of which will be shown later. 



In doing this field work I have made no new discovery, nor 

 have I been able to lay out a new scheme whereby shiftless dairy- 

 men may secure large returns from their herds by ignoring all 

 the fundamental principles of breeding and feeding. I have 

 observed, however, that the most successful men are those who 

 are modestly putting into practice the bed-rock principles under- 

 lying their business. I recall one instance of a dairyman who had 

 been plodding along in the old rut with scrub cows for years. 

 He knew he was not doing his best, but did not see his way 

 clear to do better. We furnished him with scales, sample bot- 

 tles, and milk record sheets and he set out in earnest to find the 

 truth about his cows. He kept his records carefully and soon 

 after the second test a decided change took place in his herd. I 

 visited him at that time and learned that from his herd of ten 

 cows he had sold seven of his poorest ones for $160.00 and in 

 their stead purchased a fine young pure-bred Holstein cow at a 

 cost of $150.00. The owner said he intended to have at least 

 one good cow and should this one die he would replace her by 

 one equally as good or better. Pointing to the spring scale 

 hanging in his stables he said, " I would not take $100.00 for 

 them if another pair was not forthcoming, for they have been 

 worth it to me. It is needless to say that he is using a pure-bred 

 sire in his herd. In another instance the manager of a herd 

 began testing as I have indicated. He took deep interest in the 

 work, evidently desirious of learning as much as possible from 

 it. He would study his milk sheet to see the influence of 

 changes in food, weather, and lactation upon the amount. Aiter 

 a time he removed two or three cows which he was sure were 

 unprofitable. The herd was inferior and I have expected this 

 but was not prepared to see him dispose of the entire herd during 



