218 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



results of the field work carried on in southern Illinois for the 

 past two years. 



There is no one subject in which the dairymen of Illinois, or 

 any other state, should be more interested than that of determin- 

 ing the productive capacity of the individual cow. All will 

 agree that no argument is needed upon this point, yet how many 

 of our milk producers are employing the scales and the test to 

 point out the unprofitable cows in their herds? I am convinced 

 that few realize the importance attaching to work of this kind. 

 Some have a fair idea of its significance, but never begin testing 

 because they feel that it will necessitate considerable additional 

 work. This is an unfortunate belief, for the labor involved in 

 testing the different cows in a herd is comparatively insignificant, 

 while the results obtained are of great value to the ownr. Men 

 who have had their herds tested continue the work, for its value 

 has become apparent to them. How can dairymen fail to see its 

 importance if they but reflect that the cow is the foundation of 

 the whole dairy industry? We may talk about the transporta- 

 tion of milk, the making of butter or the curing of cheese, but 

 these are of no consequence if the coarse foods of our fields and 

 the concentrated by-products of our mills cannot be profitably 

 converted into milk. Why do dairymen persist in putting ex- 

 pensive food and labor into their herds not knowing the kind of 

 cows they are feeding? Often if the poorest third of the herd 

 was sold the running expenses would be reduced and the profits 

 become proportionately greater. There are few herds that do 

 not contain some unprofitable cows as well as others that return 

 an insignificant profit. In all such cases a vigorous weeding out 

 is to be highly recommended. 



It is difficult to understand why dairymen who are careful 

 about their other business affairs are so slow to see the necessity 

 of keeping an account with the "old cow." They take it for 

 granted that she is honest and seem loth to know the real facts 

 in the case. It is just as essential to know how much food a cow 

 consumes and the product she is capable of making from it as it 

 is to know the quality of work an employe is doing and the time 



