16 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



consume, while tlie best oiie- fourth of them return a profit of over 

 $30.00 per cow. 



The fact is, that in nearly all herds there are some poor 

 cows who are consuming the profits of the good ones, and there- 

 by reducing the net profits of the entire herd. The thing to do 

 is to weed out the boarders in the herd and replace them with 

 good cows. 



The question naturally arises : where are we going to get 

 the good cow's? If only one- fourth of all the cows in Illinois 

 (or any other state) are really worth having it will be seen at 

 once that there are not nearly enough good cows to go around. 

 Good cows are seldom for sale and when they are for sale they 

 command a premium. The most profitable way to get good 

 cows is to raise them. 



There are four distinct dairy breeds, viz. — Holstein, Jersey, 

 Guernsey and Ayrshire breeds. Select the breed you like the 

 best or the one best suited to your market and secure the best- 

 sire that you can get of that breed to head your herd. Keep a 

 record of the production of each cow in the herd, by weighing 

 the milk and testing it for butterf at. Sell the boarders to the 

 butcher and raise the heifer calves from your best cows. In 

 this way a very profitable herd can be secured in a few years, if 

 along with good breeding you give your cows the right kind 

 of feed and proper care. 



When you have once decided what dairy breed you want, 

 stick to that particular breed, do not change from one breed to 

 another. There are some men who believe they can cross a 

 Holstein w^ith a Jersey and procure offspring that will give 

 Holstein quantity and Jersey quality milk, while the ' facts in 

 the case are, nine times out of ten, the direct opposite The 

 offspring will produce Jersey quantity and Hplstein quality milk. 



Since December, 1904, a record of the milk and fat pro- 

 duction of each individual cow in my herd has been kept, the 

 unprofitable cows have been sold to the butcher and the heifer 

 calves from the best cows have been raised. 



During the time three registered Hostein sires have been a. 

 the head of the herd. 



