Show TESTING COW STATIONS I FOR UTAH FARMERS BEING URGED BY H. H E. E MCARTNEY IT u. L E E. McCartney of or the state agricultural agricultural agri agri- cultural college working the direction o of the United States department department department depart depart- ment o of agriculture dalr dairy division is working toward the formation in Utah of ot testing cow associations such as us I have have- been popular in tho the middle under tho the supervision of at government I exports In outlining Ills his work ho says as follows The central object is il to hire litre competent competent competent com com- men to go o from farm to farm I Ito to weigh milk samples to find the tho i complete value of production also to weigh the percentage o of fodder necessary necessary nce-I nce essary to produce tho the most moat mill milk thus placing tho the matter on a A. profit and basis b in mone money values ahles The plan originated In Denmark of or tho in 1892 1592 The rime primary purpose testing cow movement was to obtain I records of or th the tho yearly earl production of milk and butter from Tom each Individual cow in the herds of ot the thc members and with tl these 5 data as a basis b by the tho selection of ot the best producing cows for breeding purposes to develop a astrain astrain astrain strain of or cows which would produce a large quantity of or milk rich In but but- Later LatH it was waH found round that to jud judge e the quality of or the Individuals it was necessary in addition to keep account of the amount or of feed consumed consumed con con- cd by b- beach each cow in order to learn which of them utilized tho the feed teed to the best advantage Many of or these associations asso asso- associations do not take Into consideration the co cost coat t of or the thc feed nor the prIce of products but use the thc unit feed system for fOI this determination B By the thc feed feed- unit system tho the nutritive values of oC all feeds arc alC reduced to a common basis balls and that cow Is considered best beat which combines tho the greatest g yield of milk per feed reed units with Uh the largest production of or butterfat Extended In Scope It was not lon long before tho the work orl was extended to include also the cost of feeding and und raising calves and md young stock of or producing pork and of feeding horses o It has wen even been extended to keeping o of records of yields of or different fields with different different differ differ- ent crops and much muck good oo ha has thus been accomplished as the records furnIsh furnish furn turn ish a a. good g basis for comparing different different differ differ- ent systems of or farm mana management cultivAtion cultivation cul cul- crop rotation etc The Thc difficulty has been to devise ise a A. system where whereby b the tho unprofitable cows might ht be detected It is a a common common common com com- mon belief among farmers that the life theman theman I man who does docs the milking knows kno tho the best cows in Inthe the the herd as as well wen as the poorest but numerous experiments have ha demonstrated clearly that this belief hellet is not warranted Many factors enter to lead the judgment astray The Time cow which gives c a generous flow Clow of milk mill during the first few weeks cel s of or her pori period ad of lactation is usually usual regarded as tho time best cow caw She ma may soon go godown godown o down in her flow of or milk and perhaps goes dry for four or five months of or orthe the time year but this is not observed and only the memory of the large larra flow now she shee g gave e when fresh lin lingers ers in the mind of or the owner Another cow may ma give only anI a a. fair fall flow CloW of milk mm when hen she first comes in and ma may not be regarded highly b by her owner but she ma may continue at atthe atthe the same rate of yield for a a. long perIod period period per per- iod and will In the end prove a great deal moro more valuable than the other co No X-o can tell without wel weighing the milk mUk rc regularly whether a a. cow gives or pounds of ot milk in a year ear still the time difference e ema ma may prove the difference difference- between profit profit pro pro- fit tit and loss on that particular cow Are Arc Uncertain When almen hen the thc milk Is valued accord according InS InS' to Its Us butterfat content unsupported estimates of tho the cows cow's performance are still more uncertain It requires frequent frequent freQuent fre fre- quent testing to ascertain the average a percentage of ot fat in the milk mill a co cow con yields the test ma may vary ary greatly g from rom milking to milking mincing and from day to toda da day There ma may also be a great variation variation varia varia- tion lion In iii the richness of the milk yielded by a n. cow when she is fresh as compared compared com com- pared with a n. time later in the period pelio of or lactation And last but not least different cows consume different amounts of at feed and It Is impossible for the tho feeder to to estimate accurately the d difference in cost 0 of feeding the various arious cows for a year unless records of or tho the feed teed are kept systematically An expresion often heard among members of testing cow associations during the first year I Is The Tho cow I thought was my mr best cow Is hs actually the poorest which shows that impressions Impressions Impressions of oC the relative profitableness of or orthe the different cows in the tho herd hertI If formed without actual records may be e exactly contrary to the truth Work Wort of or Government Go Tho The United States department of or ora a agriculture through th the timo diary division of ot the tho bureau of or animal Industry has been largely Instrumental in encouraging ing lug tho Inauguration of or testing cow as associations associations as- as In tho the various arlous dairy dalr states and has always worked in operation co-operation with the state authorities In many states no funds lunds have hac been available for conducting the work and the department department depart depart- m ment nt has furnished the services Cervices of or an organizer and has supplied blanks and record books free treo of ot char charge e In the hope that when the value of or the work has hats been demonstrated the states would appropriate te su sufficient t tu funds to carr carry It on Such appropriations should cover the expenses of ot or organizing such as ns salary and traveling traveling- expenses of or nn an organizer they should also alAo provide for forthe forthe forthe the printing of ot books and blanks for compilation of the records and for tor publication of the same It It is advisable that some state authority au au- should supervise tho the work and that visits should be made to tho association so that difficulties ma may be straightened out should they arise It is also desirable that the supervisor of or the work should attend the thc meetings held b by the association and give Jl advice to the tester and check checkup up his work In order to get the hl highest highest high high- hest h- h est degree de ree of ot accuracy Many Ian of 0 the states tates h have havo vo already provided for such supervision lIper and for tor furnishing the thc material as well as for tor compiling the ther r- r records and It has haR been the policy of ot this department to encourage c tho as assumption assumption ns- ns o of tho the state control of or the wor work |