ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



^^ear. 



No. Lbs. Milk. 



No. Lbs. Fat. 



1900 



3560 



135 



I 



4648 



176 



2 



4355 



165 



3 



5054 



190 



4 



5800 



224 



5 



7105 



260 



6 



8057 



307 



7 



8626 



326 



8 



7984 



307 



9 



8415 



311 



10 



8309 



289 



II 



9413 



321 



12 



9090 



301 



13 



8956 



314 



The first four years represent an average production of my 

 herd before we weighed the milk and tested it for butter fat. 

 These figures are made from creamery returns. In the year 

 1900 the' average production was 3,560 pounds of milk. When 

 we began to weigh the milk I sold off some cows I was ' sure 

 were low producers. In 1900 they were ordinary cows with or- 

 dinary feed and care, and it was a losing proposition. The first 

 year we weighed the milk was in 1904, and we got 5,800 pounds 

 of milk and 224 pounds of fat. In 1905 we had 7,105 pounds 

 of milk and 260 pouncts of fat. In 1906 we had 8,057 pounds 

 of milk and 307 pounds of fat. You will notice that from 

 1903 to 1906 we increased the average production 100 pounds 

 of fat. That was due not only to selling off the poor cows and 

 getting better ones, but by raising better heifers and giving the 

 cows a balanced ration and feeding them all they would co* 

 sume. It takes about so much feed for a cow. to maintain her- 

 self, and if you don't feed her more than she needs to keep up* 

 her body, she is not going to give much milk. It is necessary 

 that at all times the cows have the right kind of feed and all 

 they will consume. In 19 10 the average production of milk was 

 about as high, but none of the cows tested as high. I was never 



