1920.] 



Farm Institute in Somerset. 



advice and encouragement in the interests of national milk 

 production. In order to secure increased milk production 

 it is very desirable to eliminate the bad milker, and the best 

 way to secure this end is to keep a careful record of the yield 

 of every cow in the herd. In this connection it may be stated 

 that the yield of milk of a cow cannot be determined by the 

 size of the animal's udder, as is so commonly beheved by 

 farmers. The well-bagged cow is sometimes a poor milker. 

 Inasmuch as the Government wish to encourage increased 

 milk production in the national interest, the expenditure of 

 public money spent for this purpose is justified. Although 

 the Milk Recording Scheme has only been in operation for a 

 few years, there is every reason to beheve that the value of 

 it is appreciated in many districts, and that many new 

 societies are likely to be formed at an early date. It may 

 well be that when farmers have proved that financial benefit does 

 accrue from keeping milk records, they will be ready to carry on 

 with less financial assistance than they now receive. Those 

 who have seen a milk recording certificate will doubtless have 

 noticed that it certifies (a) that the records were kept under the 

 supervision of a milk recording society ; (b) that they were 

 subject to inspection without notification by an approved 

 recorder; and (c) that they showed that the yield of milk 

 amounted to so many pounds during the year. Every pre- 

 caution has been taken to secure absolute accuracy for the 

 information given on the certificate, but the Ministry cannot 

 give guarantees, and does not wish to render itself liable 

 for payment of compensation to which the purchaser of a certi- 

 ficated cow might think himself entitled if the cow was not up 

 to the standard expected. The Ministry, therefore, safeguards 

 itself by issuing a statement in the " Register 'of Dairy 

 Cows " that it accepts no responsibiUty for any inaccuracy. 

 At the same time, needless to say, there is very little room 

 left for inaccuracies to creep in. 



The following note has been communicated to the Ministry 



by Captain J. A. Symon, D.S.O., M.A., B.Sc. :— 



The Somerset County Council have now 

 A Farm Institute , i i i j ^ r 



in Somerset taken possession on leasehold tenure 01 



the old mansion house and gardens known 



as Cannington Court, Cannington, some 3 miles from 



Bridgwater, for the purpose of establishing a Farm Institute. 



They have also acquired a lease of the adjoining Court 



Farm of upwards of 178 acres, one-half being arable. 



