The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-09-19
Exact Dairying.

Mr.. Editor:-Your article entitled
Losses from Inferior Cows" in the
JVdtchmdn for August 10, is a timely
and highly instructive admonition. 1t
is one of the points of vital importance
at the present time in Vermont dairy
ing and one concerning which " line
upon line " will be required before the
farmers will follow the advice. We
are all agreed that the culing-out
process is necessary. The first practical
question to arise therefore is, How
shall we discover which members of
the herd are Improbable and should
be discarded?
In visiting many farms of the state,
| have several times noted that the
farmer who was selling milk directly
either to factory or to city customers
had pretty clear notion in his head as
to the prolitableness of each of his
cows. In his case quantity was the
only item that had any financial bear
ing, and the man who milks day after
dav soon learns which cows give him
the most pounds of milk. But even
here he is likely to be deceived. One
COW may give a large quantity when
fresh in milk, shrink rapidly, go dry
three or four months of the year, and
be largely surpassed in total yearly
yield by another that never gives more
than moderate amount, but sustains
that amount through almost to calving
time.
When, however, we question the
farmer who makes the milk of his herd
into butter as to the relative butter ca
pacity of his cows, we seldom find
man who has even approximately cor
rect ideas concerning the bulk of his
cows. In most herds there will be one
or two cows that have been tested and
are known to be good, but the rank and
file are taken on faith.
To have any accurate knowledge of
the value of COW, we need to know
first the quantity of milk produced and
secondly its quality. The first of these
is necessary for all farmers, and both
are of importance to him who wishes
to produce butter most cheaply. An
accurate record of the amount of milk
is so easy to keep that there is no ex-
cuse for its not being done by all
! farmers. One of the best methods is
as follows: Have all the milk-pails of
the same weight. Get one of the small
family platform spring scales, costing
from one to three dollars. Move the
pointer so that il marks zero when the
empty pail is placed upon it. All the
mixer has to do then is to set the pail
on the scale and record the weight in
dictated, without taking out any tare for
the weight of the pail.
In its own work the experiment sta
/ fnr oh wit n
headings for each day of the week and
for the total of the week, each space
divided for the morning and evening
milk. One sheet will contain the
records for a week Of twelve cows. A
sample is enclosed The station has
had large number of these sheets
printed and will furnish them free of
charge to any farmer who will report
to the station the sum total produced
by each of his cows each month he is
keeping the record.
The determining of the quality of the
milk is far more difficult task. AT
the station we use both the chemical
test and the test of manufacture.
Probably the best test for the farmer is
setting the milk or churning the cream
of each COW separately. This is good
deal of bother under either the small
or the large shallow pan system. With
any of the deep cold settings, where the
cream is raised between milkings, the
testing of individual cows becomes
quite an easy task. Two tests of five
days each, one taken three weeks
after calving and the other five months
later, will determine the richness of the
milk with sufficient accuracy for most
purposes. w. w. COOKE.
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION,
BURLINGTON, August 80.