Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-04-14
STUDYING THE
DAIRY PRODUCT
WORK OF WHITE RIVER cow
TESTING ASSOCIATION.

TESTING ASSOCIATION.
Cooperative Undertaking Among the
Farmers Results in Scientific lnves-
tiaatlon OF Dairy Ratlous and Out
qualification Of Balanced Feed
Clearly Shown.--Marked Advance in
the Farmers Profit Comes with
Growth in information--Figure Talk
The results OF the first years work OF
the White River Dairy Test association
we're described BY c. ID. Hazen, Jr.. presi-
dent o. the association, ia talk given BY
him al the Vermont Dairymen's meeting
Jan. 10. He said:
We have come here years before and
heard Professor Hills tell Us what We
might gain by cow-testing associations.
We have wondered if be knew what be
was talking about. We wondered II
what be said was true. A little more
than a year ago there we're three assoeia-
tons formed in Vermont. Il is my Oh
jet today to tell you what ore OF the as
soeiations has done.
Now, just one word Of explanation. A
cow-testing association IS a union Of
farmers who engage a man to spend one
day each month at each farm. He comes
TO the farm in the afternoon, weighs the
feed, figures the cost Of it and weighs the
milk and tests it. From this work Tor
the day, he gets the figures for the
month; determines the amount Of milk
given, the pounds Of fat given, the return
Of each COW; figures the profit or the loss
The return for II expended-the cost to [
produce butteFfat and the cost to produce
one hundred pounds of milk. In this
way, the farmers know just what they are 4
doing.
We organized our association in 1
November year ago. Mr.. Rabild was
with us four days and assisted Ia he or
ganiziDg. II was the second association /
in the state. We had many interesting ex-
perlences IN organizing. Some OF them / .
will give you. We approached one man
and asked MIN to join our association.
He did not need the work, he said. He
knew what his cows produced, he knew
what II cost to feed each COW and be
knew which his profitable COWS were. All
this without weighing or testing. Now.
! leave it youi did be know
Another man had twenty cows. an
good producers, he said. Like the other.
he did not need the work OF the associa-
ton. This fall he sold his farm, sold his
herd. The purchaser sold five OF these
COWS for $50, $40 each. Said they did
not have tooth in their heads; vet the !
former owner said they were good pro-
iucers. Now, did he know
Another man has fifty COWS. He milks
'ne-third of them himself. He feeds !
hem. He says he feeds exactly for pro-
iuction-that is, pound OF grain for so I
many pounds of milk. Says he knows ]
when one COW falls off in production. I
ven though be does not milk her. The Q
eed Is not weighed, the milk Is not G
Weighed. Now, he says il costs him
l.25 per hundred to make his milk, II !
! interesting to know that there are but 4
wo in our association where the cost Of G
lilk is as high as this. Now, did he n
nov? il
Another man told me that there was b
othing to it. II was simply a scheme to I
nd employment for few men. He said a
All you care about it is what you get for 4
arrYing this man around. y When / p
rotested that got nothing, he laughed v
me, and said that ii was made up to II
le in some way. Il
When our association was organized in CT
ovember We started out with 26 herds d.
nd 53S cows. Things went smoothly for
'ur months. Then we we're Obliged IN 1t
range our tester. Four herds fell out at th
lat time. Since then, we have gone th
trough and completed the year and have th
organized for another year. Now. In OF
king the men who we're ia the associa- 20
On what good they got from it, they re- cr
onced this way. 20
The man wi naa hard akona. "a
ISOLATION, has figured bis feeds and fed 30
balanced ration for twelve years. He
. tested for production and has known is
bat his cows did for him. He says, 81 co
We gotten great good from it; while ms
d figured rations before, / had never mi
,rked Tor the economical part. have ye'
better and fed cheaper ration.u be
Another man gave me these figures. shl
e hrst time the tester came, was feed CO..
! a bushel OF ensilage and twenty ms
unds Of hay each day. The feed cost ids
10 &c. per day for each COW. [ cut bee
ensilags and hay nearly in halves. yol
feed cost 9l4c per day, and in a AM
NTH, from the same cows, / made thir-
pounds more butter. This is rs be nul
d me. lbs
mother man had 25 COWS in the associ- and
Shs lag Abhia hutA were not prOntAble y
'ducers. He has sold IL OF his rs, and II
remaining II make him more profit OF |
I'VE the cost OF feed, than did the 25. OF
It pay him has
mother man with 10 cows decided taii
| seven were not profitable producers !
Is keeping his three, and has only Ing
ID words for the association. bot
mother man with thirty cows found TAX
was keeping them at a loss. He has VOL
led himself With his feeds and is in a cars
way to make them profitable pro- thai
ers. In c
mother man fed feed very rich in to
ted and very low ia carbohydrates. The
feed was very expensive and he won who
ID thst his cows grew thin. He has OF
inced his ration-his cows are in good stay
dition and are producing more ct a read
cost than they ever have before. Did not
ay him il Of
mother man who sends his min, n, ~ the
mpFV rpnnFfa a eyasr L