Published by 
The Rural Publishing Co. 
333 W. 30th Street 
New York 
The Rural New Yorker 
The Business Farmer’s Paper 
Weekly, One Dollar Per Year 
Postpaid 
Single Copies, Five Cents 
Vol. LXXIV NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 20, 1915 No. 4295 
A RECORD-MAKING OHIO GUERNSEY. 
How She is Fed, Handled and Tested. 
A GREAT COW.—“May Rilma, the great Guern¬ 
sey. is beaten, her 1073.41 pounds butterfat 
and 19073 pounds milk in a year, will soon be 
history.” yelled one of the Ohio State Dairy enthusi¬ 
asts. “Murne Cowan will beat her; 91.798 pounds 
butterfat each month for the past 10 months; 90.1 
pounds fat for December. She has two months to go 
yet, and she will do as well as she did in December. If 
she falls back from 90 to 80 pounds for next two 
months she’d have May beaten for year 4.57 pounds. 
In 10 months Murne Cowan produced 20,473.54 
pounds milk; that is 800.54 pounds more than May 
Rilma for year, not quite so high test, but Murne is 
there with the goods.’’ 
The figures were at the tip of his tongue. His en¬ 
thusiasm was greater than if the game was tied in 
the ninth and two men out. A little note appeared 
in The R. N.-Y. several weeks ago, anticipating 
Murne Cowan’s record. May Rilma's marvelous at- 
the man and the feed,” are necessary in developing 
record animals. R. G. Murphy of Anna Dean farm, 
Ohio, who knows more about this cow than anyone 
else except Carl Goekerell of that farm, was asked 
the secrets of the wonderful progress Murne Cowan 
is making. 
CARE GIVEN.—“There are no tricks in cow test¬ 
ing, to my mind, no sleight of hand performance that 
everyone does not know as well as I do,” said Mr. 
Murphy. I was introduced to Murne Cowan that 
afternoon, and to other wonderful animals. There 
is interesting dairy history in information that 
Murne Cowan, her six-months-old son and six other 
heifers were purchased from a farmer in Western 
Pennsylvania for .$1100. The farmer did no testing, 
he took no greater pride in his herd than other 
Guernsey breeders do, and perhaps no less. His 
herd was not particularly strong in any family 
blood lines. He prided himself in having only good 
Guernseys. Murne Cowan was thin when brought 
to her new home. This was four years ago; she 
was then five years old. She had been fresh three 
and if not he has a nearby neighbor who has he 
may read. It can easily he done, if the farmer 
knows how.” 
IMPROVING A BREED.—“When Murne Cowan 
successfully completes her test, dairymen will be 
eager to adopt the Guernsey at the expense of good 
animals they now have,” I remarked. 
“The man who has representatives of a breed 
should try to make that breed better. It is being 
impressed more and more that a good cow is not a 
question so much of breed as it is of an individual. 
The man who is well established in purebred stock 
will not be changed in his purpose, even should 
Murne Cowan establish a world record by an un¬ 
attainable margin. We would not change if some 
other breed should out-distance Guernseys again 
and again. It will probably influence the man going 
into purebred stock for the first time, and there are 
many dairymen who will profitably infuse Guernsey 
blood in their herds. It means, too, the dairyman 
who keeps cows of any breed should watch liis 
cream line and cash account with each cow. Murne 
p iiii | §||| m 
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taiument within a month will stand as a milestone in 
dairy progress. Murne Cowan is in the last days of 
her official test, and has all but positive assurance 
of its final success. She is a “good sensible cow,” 
from the farmer’s viewpoint. She puts cash in her 
owner’s poeketbook day after day. She is producing 
$3 worth each day at retail. Her feed expense is 
53.9 cents daily. 
FEEDING COW.—“What is the expense in caring 
for this cow?” the dairyman will at once ask. She 
is one of a large herd, and receives but little more 
attention than other individuals among nearly (100. 
The labor expense is 40 cents daily, and the men 
who care for her receive good pay; they earn it. 
They have even figured her stall rent at $05 a year, 
which she pays at the pail. She pays for light, 
water and bedding in fertility which she supplies. 
Even this great cow must give a good account of her¬ 
self, for business relations between her and the 
farm are measured in dollars and cents. "The cow. 
months and her production for a year following 
was 10.329 pounds milk, and 845.41 pounds but¬ 
terfat. 
“People may remark,” Mr. Murphy said, “you 
can do anything here, you have everything in the 
world to do with.” Both Mr. Murphy .and Mr. 
Goekerell agreed: "We have absolutely nothing that 
is essential that the other man cannot have at mod¬ 
erate expense. When a man stops to think what the 
essentials of cow comfort are, they include a com¬ 
fortable stable where changes of temperature are not 
too violent and where there is plenty of sunlight 
and air. She should have sufficient palatable food, 
and proper water supply. These are simple essen¬ 
tials. There is nothing among these which any 
farmer cannot supply, there is nothing in the ration 
any other man cannot duplicate. There is noth¬ 
ing in the care of the cow that he cannot duplicate. 
These principles are everyday common sense. The 
averasre farmer may already have worked them out. 
Cowan will advertise Guernsey ability, but we hope 
not at the expense of wholesale desertion of other 
breeds.” 
THE VALUE OF TESTING.—“Does it pay to 
test?” the farmer will ask. “Yes.” was the reply. 
“The farmer may not make a great record in his 
herd, but the increased value of a bull calf will pay 
for testing the dam, if a farmer tests a half dozen 
cows at once. That has been proved by the fact 
that bull calves out of untested dams scarcely bring 
any price, and now we never sell a bull calf for less 
than $100. The man who inquires about a bull calf 
almost invariably inquires if the dam has been 
tested and what are the results.” 
A MODEL STALL.—We went to Murne Cowan’s 
stall. It was the size of a good large living-room. 
She was well bedded. She had Alfalfa before her. 
The equipment was sanitary, the same as we see 
in many newly equipped dairy barns. Mr. Cocker¬ 
ell quietly removed her blanket. This cow was 
