American Agriculturist, October 18, 1924 
“Books” on the Cows 
<• 
How to Make Tests 
W ITH the low price of milk and the 
high prices of feed and other costs, 
many dairymen this fall are giving more 
attention than ever before to checking 
up on the individual cows of their dairy. 
As a result, they are asking questions 
as to the simplest methods of making 
tests and keeping records. In a few 
words, there are three ways of putting 
the dairy on a business basis, so far as 
records are concerned. First, and proba¬ 
bly best, the dairyman can join a dairy 
improvement association. This usually 
consists of about twenty-four members, 
living not far apart, who unite and hire 
a tester. This man visits each dairy at 
least once a month, weighs the milk and 
feed of each cow and tests her milk for 
butterfat, and keeps a careful record of 
her production for a year. Before many 
months have passed, the farmer has a 
fairly accurate idea of just what each 
cow in his herd is doing. If you are inter¬ 
ested in joining an association, write to 
the American Agriculturist, and we 
will give you the details. 
Using the Babcock Tester 
A second way to get a check on the 
dairy is to buy a Babcock tester and do 
the weighing and testing of the milk of 
each cow and her feed yourself. This is 
probably a cheaper way than belonging 
to a cow-testing association, and is also an 
excellent way of getting your boy or girl 
really interested in dairying. A Babcock 
tester is not very expensive, and neither 
are good milk scales. Milk sheets for 
keeping weights can be had free of charge. 
Full information, telling just how to get 
started, will be gladly furnished if you 
will write American Agriculturist. 
For dairy farmers who find it im¬ 
possible to become members of a dairy 
improvement association, the dairy im¬ 
provement club seems likely to offer an 
effective means of improving their herds 
and learning better dairying methods. 
For the dairymen who have less than 
ten cows, the expense of membership in 
the improvement association is rather 
high on account of the cost of maintaining 
the tester who is employed by the 
association. 
How the Improvement Club Works 
In the dairy improvement club, the 
farmer keeps his own records and takes 
his own samples, which he sends to some 
central point to be tested for butterfat. 
During the year, club meetings are 
held for discussion of the herd records, 
feeding methods, and similar problems. 
At these meetings records are frequently 
displayed on a blackboard and the dis¬ 
cussions led by a representative from the 
State college. 
One of the first of these clubs formed 
in New York State was in Gardiner, 
Ulster County, where it was organized 
in September, 1922. 
Some of the members find that they 
prefer the club plan to that of the associa¬ 
tion. As one club member expressed it: 
“Any dairyman who will not weigh the 
milk at least twice a month and take samples 
bi-monthly would also not take the time to 
study his herd record book if he was in a regular 
association, v and thus he could not secure the 
greatest benefit from the organization.” 
Simpler But Not So Accurate 
The third way of checking on the dairy 
is simpler than the other tw o, but not so 
good. It consists in obtaining milk 
weight sheets and milk scales, and then 
weighing the milk from each cow and 
possibly her feed, and making note of it 
on the record sheets. It is possible also 
that by sending samples of each cow s 
milk occasionally to some agricultural 
institution you can get a record of hei 
butterfat production. This method also 
will be explained in detail if you will 
write to us. 
All of these suggestions and help that 
we are trying to render to dairymen is in 
) 
With Little Labor 
line with our established belief that con¬ 
ditions have so changed in the dairy 
business that the future holds no promise 
whatever for the man who will not take 
the time and make the effort to get his 
dairy on a business basis. 
Train to Show How Costs 
Lower Milk Production 
E are glad to give notice of the 
demonstration train which will be 
run by the New York Central Railroad, 
cooperating with seven agricultural or¬ 
ganizations in New York State to show 
factors which will help to lower the costs 
of milk production. The train which will 
consist of four cars, will start from Earl- 
ville, Madison County, on October 20th 
and will continue for four weeks, making 
stops all through the Mohawk Valley, 
and from Albany south to Montgomery; 
and then on the east side of the Hudson, 
stops will be made on the Harlem and 
Putnam divisions. 
One of the interesting features of this 
train will be two cars of cattle which will 
be used to show the methods of keeping 
down costs and as examples of good and 
poor individuals. Three of these cows 
will have much the same physical appear¬ 
ance and characteristics; that is, they will 
look alike, but one of them will have a 
yearly record of 12,000 pounds of milk 
produced at a profit, the second will be an 
average producer, and the third a distinct 
loser. The audience at each stop of the 
train will be invited to guess on the pro¬ 
duction of these cows. * 
In line with A. A. Policy 
Accompanying the train will be repre¬ 
sentatives of the agricultural department 
of the railroad, colleges of agriculture, 
breeders’ associations, the State Depart¬ 
ment of Farms and Markets, and the 
Dairymen’s League Cooperative Asso¬ 
ciation, and the AmericanAgriculturist. 
This publication is interested in work 
of this kind because it is in line with 
what we have repeatedly stated, that 
the only kind of a dairyman who will be 
able to remain in the business in the fu¬ 
ture is the one who is willing to find out 
which cows in the herd are the losers and 
then to get rid of them. 
Work of this kind is just what we are 
trying to do in urging at least 10,000 
farmers in the New York milk shed to kill 
and eat at least one cow between now and 
March 1st. We are daily receiving the 
names of men who have agreed to do this. 
Get Rid of the. Poorest Cow 
According to the plan, between now 
and March 1st, farmers will pick out at 
least one cow in their herd which they 
know is making no profit and will either 
eat her on their own table and can the 
surplus, or else they will cooperate with 
their neighbors, letting them have some 
fresh meat from them when they kill 
their beef. Or of course, the cow may be 
sold to the butcher. Anyway, get rid of 
her so long as she is not continued hi milk 
production. 
The little agreement is given below on 
this page. If you do not want to sign 
this, just write us a letter and tell us you 
are for this plan and will do your part 
providing enough others will do theirs. 
Let’s eat up these cows that are making 
all of the trouble in the dairy industry. 
Cow Campaign 
UT this out, sign it and send it to 
American Agriculturist. It is a 
simple agreement among farmers for 
each man to get rid of the poorest cow 
in his herd. Each agrees to kill or sell 
for meat purposes this individual ani¬ 
mal. It is understood the agreement 
is not binding until at least 1,000 farm¬ 
ers in the New York milk shed have 
agreed to do likewise. (Signed) 
Name... 
Address. 
l; v.. 
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