THIRTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CONVENTION 275 



a good producer substituted, because the margin of profit will 

 grow smaller unless the average cow is developed to keep pace 

 with the increased cost of feed. 



We are frequently asked which is the best breed of dairy 

 cows. This question we are not yet able to answer, for much 

 depends upon the disposition of the product and upon the fancy 

 of the owner. The question of securing good individuals is of 

 greater importance than the breed. No matter in what breed 

 one decides to invest he is apt to fail of good results unless he 

 selects carefully his foundation animals and continues a sys- 

 tem of rigid selection. Even grade cows carefully selected and 

 mated with good, pure-bred sires for two or three generations 

 will often give better returns in production than pure-bred ani- 

 mals mated indiscriminately. After the breed is once selected 

 the individuals in the herd should receive the greatest attention. 

 The records in this bulletin are not necessarily an indication of 

 the relative merits of the different breeds, but rather an 

 indication of the number of animals of each breed within the 

 state and the degree of interest taken by their owners. 



General Rules Governing Tests. 



The State Experiment Station sends out men to make these 

 tests subject to the rules adopted by the different breed associa- 

 tions. These rules can be obtained by writing the secretaries of 

 the different associations. 



Persons in charge of cows to be treated are permitted to 

 care for and feed them as they see fit, except that they are not 

 permitted to use drugs as stimulants or to feed milk. An official 

 test cannot begin under six days after calving, because the 

 milk during that period is abnormal. Ten days' or two weeks' 

 notice should be given to the Experiment Station or association 

 when a test is desired, and it is desirable that a second notice be 

 sent to the Station about three days previous to beginning, as 

 it frequently happens that cows "go off feed" or that for some 

 other reason the owner is not ready to begin at the specified 

 time. 



