ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 109 



*During the second year a record was kept of but eight of 

 the original ten cows. 



The above represents a test at one of the Royal Prussian 

 agricultural stations. 



These examples tend to show the serenity with which the 

 Swiss cows adapt themselves to their surroundings and attend 

 quietly to their business. 



We find many of the Swiss cows at their best at twelve or 

 thirteen years of age. The calves are generally quite large at 

 birth. I have weighed many of them and found them weighing- 

 over 120 pounds, and in one instance a calf weighed 155 pounds. 

 This calf at six months weighed 795 pounds. They grow 

 rapidly and I think will accumulate more weight at two years of 

 age than any other breed I know of. They are good rustlers. 

 Generally speaking, they are not a smooth cattle, but the ten- 

 dency of the breeders of this country has been toward more re- 

 finement. They carry more meat than the accepted dairy form 

 of the modern teachers, but it must be remembered that their 

 normal condition is meaty. 



• We are milking in our dairy at Sedgeley farm about 120 

 cows, about 75 per cent of which are full blood or grade Swiss. 

 We would like to be able to obtain all Swiss cows, as from our 

 experience we have found them more persistent milkers than 

 other breeds and they keep in better condition on the same feed, 

 and, all around, are the most satisfactory cows we have been able 

 to obtain. The herd average of milk is 4.2 per cent. Of course, 

 we have found what we considered unprofitable cows among the 

 Swiss cattle, but by judicious weeding have attained a standard 

 of excellence of which we are proud. 



Not the least pleasant feature in connection with the breed 

 is its freedom from disease. All the cows in our herd are sub- 

 jected to the tuberculin test before being introduced into it and 

 are annually tested before becoming a part of it. It is a re- 

 markable fact that while ten per cent of all the common cows 

 that we have intended to put into our herd since we commenced 



