The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-01-15
ne Making of a Dairy Herd.

bue eSS successfully unless he
,nC $ the relation of cost of produc-
tio, 20 the price received for the pro-
duc. Guesswork will not do in
dali ing any more than it will in
ma featuring. Therefore let the
far er discard the plainly inferior
nro 1cers, feed the rest well for a
Yea and keep an approximately cor
roc record of the milk and butter fat
vie ed by each cow, and of the food
cor umed by each. The results are
nre ~ sure to be surprising.
The majority of farmers consider
If 90 much trouble to keep milk
records. Not so the Danes, who are
our keenest competitors in the
worlds markets so far as dairy pro-
ducts and bacon are concerned. The
little kingdom of Denmark has about
three hundred farmers cooperative
testing associations, which are doing
a great deal to develop the capac-
ity of the Danish dairy cow and to
reduce the cost of milk production.
In these associations, the milk of
each cow is weighed one day per
week. and the milk tested for but
ter fat fortnightly or monthly. In
this way it is easy to get an esti-
mate of the years production which
is quite close enough for practical
purposes. The feed of each cow is
also weighed sufficiently often to get
rough estimate of the cost for the
year. With a spring balance hanging
at convenient point in the stable,
and a pencil and sheet of paper be-
side it, this method of keeping rec
iY,n NJ
progressive dairyman can afford to
neglect it.
The economical production of large
quantities of milk, butter or cheese
determines the value of the COW, and
if she does not yield a profitable flow
of milk she ceases to have any rea-
son for existence. By the simple
method of testing outlined above, the
farmer will be able at the end OF
year to weed out his poor mixers
and retain the best as the basis of
the new herd. No man can select
the most profitable producers from
his neighbours herd without using the
scales and tester, nor can he often
get the privilege of buying another
mans best COWS. Hence, it follows
that to build up a highclass dairy
herd it will usually be necessary for
the farmer to breed his own cows.
The improvement of the herd will
depend chiefly upon the sort OF bulls
used. The most expert judge is large
ly at sea when he attempts to select
a dairy bull by appearances alone.
When we come to the question OF
raising good COWS, we find that the
only road to success is in breed
ing from the COWS of known capac-
ity, and from bulls whose female an
cestors have been tested for excel
lence at the pail and churn. It is
imperative that the herd bull be
backed up by considerable number
of good producing dams and grand
dams, if satisfactory results are to be
expected from his daughters.
good COW is a good cow, no mat
ter what her breed may be. There
fore, let the farmer choose the dairy
bre ed best suited to his conditions,
an stick to it. Let him breed his
best COWS to the best available bull
Of that breed, and continue TO grade
III his herd to a higher degree OF ex-
&c ence year by year. The practice
fo'owed by some farmers of using
bulls first of one breed and then or
ar)ther is fatal to all plans for build
in I'm n ,,piforpo handsome and prof