1910.] Value of Records of Milk Yield of Cows. 467 



value as manure. The long, broad, leaf-like Laminaria is 

 richer than Fucas, the common black weed of the rocks. 

 Seaweed cut or thrown up in the early part of the year is 

 richer than that obtained late in summer or autumn. 



On the other hand, the foreign species gathered with the 

 seaweed, Zostera, Salicornia, and Glyceria, are distinctly 

 poorer in composition, and contain a certain amount of fibre 

 that does not readily decompose. They are therefore of less 

 fertilising value, as the practical man has already discovered. 

 In jersey, Zostera is gathered from the shallow sandy bays 

 and heaped up in alternate layers with dung, but it is not 

 usually applied direct to the land. Very thick, fleshy fronds 

 of Laminaria may decompose so slowly in the soil that on 

 light land they may do some harm by opening up the soil 

 and drying it out. 



The high manurial value of seaweed has already been 

 pointed out. On the basis of the current unit values, the 

 fertilising materials in 1 ton of fresh seaweed would cost 

 about ios., and in 1 ton of dried weed about 40s. to 65s. 

 The amount obtainable must be enormous. Can it be better 

 utilised than it is at present ? This interesting question has 

 not been overlooked by inventors, but the mechanical difficul- 

 ties are so great that all attempts to make a saleable manure 

 at remunerative prices have so far failed. The utilisation 

 of the enormous quantities of fertilising materials thrown 

 up every year by the sea on our shores still remains a problem 

 for the future. 



THE VALUE OF RECORDS OF THE MILK 

 YIELD OF COWS. 



The practice of keeping records of the quantity and quality 

 of the milk yielded by dairy cows has made very great pro- 

 gress during recent years both on the Continent and also in 

 the United States and Canada. It has also been adopted in 

 this country by the leading breeders of pedigree cows, and 

 to some extent by the more progressive farmers in the South 

 of Scotland and in Lancashire. 



The system is of value to the milk-seller, to the butter- 

 maker, and to the breeder, according to the object for which 

 the cows are kept. It enables the milk-seller to know exactly 

 what yield his cows are giving and the quality of the milk 

 given by each individual animal. He can thus identify cows 



