246 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



butter they are producing annually. Each one must be fed a 

 year no matter whether it is grain or pasture, and she should pro- 

 duce enough over and above cost of care and feed to make a rea- 

 sonable profit. 



While it may pay to weigh the milk of each cow at each milk- 

 ing, especially with pure bred dairy cows, it is often impracticable 

 to do this, but it will pay every farmer to weigh the milk one 

 morning and one night each month throughout the year and multi- 

 ply this by the number of days in the month, and u^e this as a 

 basis for estimating the year's production. Careful experiments 

 show that this method will give reasonably close results. It has 

 been repeatedly shown that even the person who is milking the 

 cows cannot determine the relative amount of milk or butter 

 produced by the several cows in a herd without the aid of scales 

 and tester. 



When the milk is made into butter or sold on the basis of the 

 butter fat, a Babcock test should be used and an estimate of the 

 yearly fat production secured. This may be done as follows. At 

 the milkings, when the weighing is done, have a pint fruit jar or 

 other convenient vessel for each cow that is to be tested. After 

 weighing the milk, pour from one pail to another at least twice. 

 The first milk drawn from the cow is very poor in butter fat, often 

 testing as low as 1.5 per cent, while the last is very rich; the last 

 pint or two may test as high as eight or nine per cent. In order 

 to get a fair test it must be thoroughly mixed as described. A 

 sample taken during the milking will not be a fair one. After 

 thoroughly mixing, place a little in the jar, say three or four 

 tablespoonfuls, at the second milking, add about as much more. 

 From this mixed sample the small amount required for testing 

 may be taken. 



Directions for operating the test usually accompany the ma- 

 chine, only some suggestions are here given which may be useful. 

 Any bright boy or girl, 14 or 15 years old, can learn to operate 

 the test accurately with a little practice. 



Mixing Samples. — Samples should be mixed by pouring 

 from one vessel to another, immediately before they are meas- 

 ured with the pipette. Shaking the sample will some times churn 



