708 
of points was. therefore, allowed for each general feature of the dairy 
farm and the inspector required to grade the establishment accord- 
ingly. The form for scoring shows the maximum number of points 
attainable and the number allowed by the inspector, and is printed 
so that by means of carbon paper a duplicate copy can be produced 
without additional labor. The original is left with the farmer for 
his information and guidance, and the carbon copy is forwarded to 
the health officer with the daily report of the inspector of dairy farms. 
With respect to the scoring of dairy farms, however, this may be 
fairly said: That no one can interpret the meaning of another’s 
score card unless he knows the principle upon which the rating has 
been made. It is possible either to fix an absolutely ideal standard 
of perfection and to score every feature of the establishment on that 
basis, or to fix a reasonable standard, having in view the state of the 
dairy industry, either generally or in the vicinity and at the time 
when the scoring is to be done. The former method will give low 
scores; the latter will give higher ones. It can not be said that 
either method is wrong, and possibly, having in view the future 
state of the dairy art that is so devoutly to be hoped for, the 
former method is preferable. It is essential now, however, only 
that when we undertake to determine the significance of the scores 
of dairy farms we know which method has been followed. In one 
place, apparently under the former method of scoring, thirty points 
out of a possible one hundred has been regarded as a fair passing 
mark.® Under the other method seventy would be none too high. 
Within the past year the Department of Agriculture has been test- 
ing considerable numbers of the dairy cattle supplying milk to Wash- 
ington to determine which of them are tuberculous. Cattle so tested 
are tagged, and the identification of those that are diseased is easily 
made. Some difficulty has been experienced, however, in identifying 
and following up cattle condemned by the inspectors of dairy farms 
merely on the basis of physical examination. Such a cow, if fotmd 
later on the dairy farm on which it was originally condemned, could, 
in many cases, be identified without difficulty. But if she had been 
transferred to any other farm she was less likely to attract attention 
and even if she did identification was not always easy. To minimize 
the difficulty of identification the health department applied to dairy 
cattle the principle of the Bertillon system of identification. Each 
inspector is provided with forms giving in profile the figure of a cow, 
right and left sides, and containing a space for descriptive memo- 
randa. The forms are small, so as to be easily carried in the in- 
spector’s pocket . * 6 On such a form the inspector notes the character- 
istic marks of the cow condemned, and the time and place of con- 
0 Hoard’s Dairyman, April 5, 1907, page 268. 
6 For copy of form see page 727. 
