1^8 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



It will take, on an average, about one minute to each cow, or two minutes 

 a day. This indicates, for the seven weeks that it is done during the year, 

 about one hour and thirty-eight minutes for each cow tested. With this 

 amount Of time expended, the farmer can have a complete record of every 

 cow in his herd. From this, with a knowledge of what he is feeding, he 

 will know at the end of the year whether she has been a source of profit 

 or loss to him; and furthermore, he will know from which cows to select 

 heifers for his dairy. Considering the time that is consumed in doing 

 this work, it seems strange that more dairymen do not have their herds 

 tested. Many of them can weigh and sample each cow's milk every 

 seventh week, and then have the buttermaker test the samples for them 

 at the creamery. With the per cent of fat and the weights of milk they 

 can estimate for themselves the performance of every cow in their herds. 

 The importance of doing this work will be shown further on in this paper. 



Calculating the Amount of Milk and Butter Fat. 



The milk was weighed and sampled during the fourth week of the 

 seven-week periods. From the total amount of milk that each cow gave 

 during this time, and the per cent of fat, was calculated the amount of 

 butter fat produced in the week. From these results were estimated the 

 amount of milk and butter fat each cow produced during the three weeks 

 before, and the three weeks following the test. The cow's yearly record 

 was made up from these tests, and in this way the total amount of milk 

 and butter fat that she produced during the entire year was determined. 

 It may be objected to that this method did not secure results absolutely 

 correct. On this it may be said that the chief object was to secure data 

 from which cows could be compared with each other and that this object 

 was fully attained even though the totals may have been either slightly 

 too large or too small. Check methods show, however, that the data are 

 very close to the actual amounts produced. In many cases the dairymen 

 also kept an approximate account of the grain and roughage that each cow 

 consumed during the year. Where this was done the records are of excep- 

 tionally high value, for they clearly show the «profit or loss of every cow 

 kept in the dairy. 



