Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-07-04

More progress can be made in dairy
through the organization of dairy test
associations than can be made in the
next forty years through unorganized.
hap-hazard, individual effort. The
plan of organizing test association
is simple Several farmers, usually
26, agree to pay a certain sum or
money per COW to have their COWS
tested. The cost is generally 81 to
$3.50 per COW. depending on the NUM-
Der of cows in the association. Each
member must pay minimum charge
of from $40 to $15 for the years Work.
For example, if the minimum charge
is $12 and man enters eight COWS
he will he obliged to pay S12 for the
years work, while the man with II
or more COWS will pay at the rate or
81 per COW. The tester visits each
herd once a month, testing and weigh
ing the milk from each COW. Weights
of the feed are also taken. From the
records thus obtained it is easy to
figure the amount of profit and loss
that is made by each COW.
II twenty-six farmers in one local.
ity will organize COW testing asso
citation and then hold occasional meet
ing for the purpose of exchanging
views and discussing questions per
tanning to the dairy business it will
ONLY be a matter of a few years until
they will double the net profits re-
ceived from butterfat, and further,
they will establish reputation that
will sell every animal for consider
ably more than it could possibly bring
under the old way of management. 1t
will do this BECAUSE
1. The rule of eXactness Will re-
place the rule of guess in the dairy
and the good COW will take the place
of the poor COW.
2 Better feeding methods will pre-
vail and production will be cores
oondingly increased.
3 Barns will be improved.
4. Better bulls can be purchased
through the test association organiza-
ton.
5. The community will establish
reputation for dairying in business
like manner.
6 Buyers will be attracted because
they will be certain of large num-
her of animals from which to select
their breeding stock.
2. The butterfat record will help
sell surplus stock Intelligent dairy
men prefer to know the producing
ability of the ancestry back of the
bull or heifer he is buying and he is
willing to pay for this information.
The Benson and Pioneer test asso-
Citations which have been in operation
for nearly two years. are reaping the
benefits of organized effort, not only
through the increased profit from
their dairy animals, but also through
the demand which they are creating
for surplus stock. Prospective buyers
have their eyes on these communities,
and surplus stock will be snapped up
at advanced prices.
The test association encourages
better methods by promoting friendly
competition between it's members. No
man likes to be at the tail
end Of. the procession, therefore
the careless farmer adopts some OF
the ways of the careful farmer. Bet
ter feeding methods prevail. cracks
IN barns are nailed up. manure is
hauled out, and buildings are kept
cleaner and more sanitary. One
creameryman expressed himself as
follows: Il can tell the milk that
comes from the herds in the test as
sociations by opening the cans. 1t is
cleaner and sweeter." The spirit of
Improvement spreads from the men,
hers of the association to their neigh