W ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



key held by the record clerks of that barn. The grain ration 

 for each cow was weighted daily and placed in a locked box 

 marked with the number of the cow. One day's ration of hay 

 or green feed was also weighed into a numbered burlap sack 

 which was sealed with a wire or metal band seal. 



At feeding time during the day the record clerks unlocked 

 the boxes and cut the seals, allowing the herdsmen to feed each 

 cow as much of the weighed feed as he choose and then relocked 

 and resealed the boxes and sacks. Feed left uneaten was not 

 weighed back but left in the box or manger until disposed of 

 either by the cow or the superintendent. Feed once mixed and 

 charged to a cow was never credited afterwards. 



At milking time the milk of each cow was weighed and 

 sampled by the record clerks. The samples were taken with a 

 small Scovill sampling tube and placed in quart milk bottles 

 which were numbered and kept in a box which was either sealed 

 or locked at all time when not in use. 



The cows were milked three times each day, at 4:00 a. m., 

 11:30 a. m., and 6:00 p. m., a composite sample of the three 

 milkings of each cow being placed in one sample bottle. 



The day began at noon, so that after the mornings milking 

 the bottles contained a sample from three milkings. The bottles 

 containing the samples were taken to the laboratory where they 

 were cooled to nearly 60 degrees F. by placing ice water in the 

 boxes. Three men were there employed in testing the samples. 

 The tests made were a determination of butter fat by the Bab- 

 cock test and the solids not fat by means of the lactometer 

 readings and the use of tables showing the percentages corres- 

 ponding to these readings. 



Each sample was tested by two men and their results com- 

 pared. When differences of over 2 per cent occurred a third 

 test was made : a difference of 1 per cent was not considered 

 sufficient to make it necessary to make a third test but the higher 

 result of the two was accepted. 



The laboratory records as well as the daily weights of feed 

 and milk made on blanks provided for the purpose and three 



