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Show TESTING OF DAIRY COWS Cow Testing Associations Have Proved To Be Profitable Increases ot from $10 to $15 and In homo cases much higher in the annual profits from each dairy cow havo universally resulted from the organization of co-operative cow-testing cow-testing associations In different parts of the United States. Tho expenso of membership in these associations on the other hand ,has been only about $1.50 per cow per year. Tho organizations organ-izations therefore havo been very profitable. Because of tho great and obvious economic advantages arising from tho associations tho organizations aro ono of tho most Important factors fac-tors for tho upbuilding and tho development de-velopment of tho dairy industry In this country. Such an organization consists generally ot twenty-six farmers, far-mers, living within a radius ot a few miles, who co-oporato to hire an ox-pert ox-pert tester to keep accurate accounts of tho amounts and cost ot feed consumed con-sumed by each cow In tho association, associa-tion, tho quantity ot milk produced by each and Its richness In butter fat. Theso statistics usually roveal the fact that somo cows aro not producing produc-ing enough to pay for their keep, whllo others aro highly profitable Acting on this Inforniatiou tho owner own-er of tho cows disposes of tho loast desirable of his animals and makes his herd exclusively of those which produco a considerable profit. Tho membership of tho association Is placed at 2C ,so that tho tester can jnako a completo round each month .devoting ono work day to each mombor, and that ho may keep hla records on a monthly basis. It has been found by careful experiments; experi-ments; that tho averages based upon monthly tests do not vary moro than J2 per cent from tho production, as j shown by dally observations. Since the tester Is an expert and can make tho necessary tests and computations rapidly ,and slnco ho can bo depended depend-ed on to make his observations Independently In-dependently of pressure of work on tho Individual farm, tho owners of dairy cows find It cheaper and moro satisfactory in many cases to have their testing done through the association as-sociation than to undertake to do it thenibklvos. There are now nearly 350 cow-testing cow-testing associations In tho United States, 135 having been added during dur-ing tho last year. Theso associations associa-tions havo an aggregate membership member-ship of 8,000 farmers .owning approximately ap-proximately 150,000 cows. Tho cow testing association originated origi-nated In Denmark In 1895 nnd the first of the organizations In this country was formed In Michigan in 1906. Because of tho valuo of the associations to tho dairy industry of the country tho United States Department De-partment of Agriculture Is stimulating stimulat-ing Interest in them and Is assisting farmers In their organization. Another and somewhat similar lino of co-operatlvo work which Is being encouraged by tho department for tho improvement of dairying nnd cattle raising Is tho formation of bull associations. Tho function of theso organizations is to mako available, avail-able, at hllglit expense, tho services of purebred bulls for tho herds of the associated farmers. It has been found that often tho total valuo ot tho scrub bulls owned by farmers Is sufficient to nupply through a bull association purebred bulls for the herds ot all. A number of "blocks" of tho association members aro formed form-ed nnd a purebred bull placed In each. Tho bulls aro shifted overy two years to prevent In-brooding. A considerable proportion ot the nearly 22 millions cows In tho United Unit-ed States aro too inferior to produce profitably. Whore tho bull associations, associa-tions, havo been formed the grado of tho stock has been raised appreciably. appreci-ably. Utah Farmor. o |