1905.] Milk Testing in Denmark. 25 



In order to arrive accurately at the cost of production it is 

 necessary that the cows, instead of being all fed alike, as was the 

 •case before the introduction of the control system, should have 

 their food carefully measured out to them, and a scheme of 

 feeding adopted suitable to the requirements of each cow. In 

 some instances, however, it is considered sufficient to divide the 

 animals into three classes, viz., I., heavy milkers ; II., medium 

 milkers ; and III., small milkers and dry cows. For example, 

 in the Rhine Province of Germany the following method was 

 practised : — 



Class I. Class II. Class III. 



lb. lb. lb. 



Concentrated feeding-stuffs ... ... n 6f z\ 



Roots 66 66 44 



Hay 11 11 \d\ 



Straw ... ... ... ... ... As much as they will eat. 



and on another farm 



lb. lb. lb. 



Concentrated feeding-stuffs 13A 11 6§ 



Roots ... 55 38^ 22 



Straw ... ... ... ... ... As much as they will eat. 



In Schleswig-Holstein the best cows are stated to receive 

 to 8| lb. of concentrated food, 77-100 lb. of roots, only a little 

 ^ ia y (34~5i lb-)) with straw. The second group got 4^ to 6\ lb. 

 concentrated food, 55 to 75 lb. roots ; and the dry cows at the 

 most a little over 2 lb. of oilcake, &c, with about 28 lb. of roots, 

 and straw at will. 



The value of the control system may be said to depend 

 •entirely on the keeping of accurate records of the tests and of 

 the food consumed in such a form as to enable the farmer to see 

 exactly the relative capabilities and cost of each individual cow 

 and of the herd as a whole, and also to compare in the annual 

 or half-yearly reports the results obtained by other members of 

 the Club. With this view a scheme of book-keeping was 

 drawn up in 1899 by a committee of the Jutland Agricultural 

 Society and of representatives of the Control Societies. In the 

 first place, the farmer is required to keep a diary, in which the 

 rations fed to each cow are entered. When the assistant visits 

 the farm the results of his tests, &c, are put down on a 

 record " drawn up in the following form : — 



