ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 289 



for when pastures become short and the flies and heat oppressive, 

 the production falls rapidly and cannot be entirely regained until 

 the succeeding lactation. Farm-grown foods, however, should 

 be used for this purpose instead of expensive grains. Cows Nos. 

 8 and 9 are of low capacity and will be replaced by better bred 

 females of greater productive ability. In this herd it is not con- 

 sidered a laborious task to weigh all the milk from each cow and 

 test composite samples at stated intervals. In fact, the owner 

 was weighing milk before this test was started and now he is 

 the more thoroughly convinced of its importance. A pure-bred 

 sire of excellent breeding, is being kept and an effort made to pro- 

 duce dairy cows capable of making the greatest return for the 

 food consumed. Here again, more leguminous hay grown upon 

 the farm should have been available to replace some of the con- 

 centrates fed in winter and those given in summer to supplement 

 poor pasture. 



Herd No. 12. J. H. P. 



The thing that strikes one most forcibly in this herd is its 

 low average production. This can be accounted for quite readily 

 from the fact it was made up of grade Jerseys, grade Holsteins 

 and natives of poor quality, several of which had long since seen 

 the day of their highest production. The owner seemed to be 

 careful about his general farm management, but persisted in use 

 of a grade "beef bull. His excuse lay in the fact that the milk 

 was sold for direct consumption and the calves could be most 

 readilly sold for veal when bred in this manner. This herd was 

 provided comfortable quarters, but the ration was not properly 

 adapted to its needs. In winter the milking cows were given 8 

 to 10 pounds of corn and cob meal for concentrate and about 



