Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-07-14
THE GAIN FROM REC ORD KEEP
81 VI 5G ING. #. s5

Before the results of modern herd re
cords were known, dairy cattle were
admitted to. the herd books, and
bought and sold, chiefly on their out
ward appearances. There was no stan
dard by which to determine the rela-
ton of form to production. A nice
looking cow was the one which brought
the most money. What constituted
such COW was largely a matter of
opinion or prejudice. With the intro
duction of herd records, opinions
came to be valued in direct proportion
to ones understanding of the relation
of form to production. Everything
must be determined in the light of the
scales, the Babcock test and the cost of
milk production.
To Minnesota must be awarded a
large portion of the credit for the in
auguratiun of the newer and more ra-
tional system. For the past twenty
years the milk from every COW in the
Staten herd has been weighed and
tested morning and night; and at least
twelve years ago it was found that
certain COWS in the herd returned sos 81
per COW. while others returned only
$8. ~, after deducting the cost of feed
which was the same in each case.
Later, by the same means, the Michi-
gan Experiment Station found that
after deducting cost of feed, COWS re-
turned from IS. IL to $94 05; the New
Jersey Station showed, when milk was
valued at 81 per hundred, a variation
of from 10 cents to $40. r. and in Con.
necticut it was demonstrated that
while the best cows returned $54 ~,
the poorest returned only $27 above
the cost of feed. With such figures as
these supplemented meanwhile by
similar results from the records OF up
to-date Individual dairymen and OF
test associations, it becomes evident
that the dairymau who kept no records
business in competition with the one
who did. That many have taken the
lesson to heart is shown by the fact
that testing associations are steadily
growing in numbers, and that more
pure. bred slres have been introduced
into Minnesota during the last three
or four years than In all former years
put together. A sire bred trcm a COW
with the highest record is the most
eagerly sought for the production of
new herds. breed to the winner
seems to be the motto.
Prof. Grout points out, however,
that the record is not the whole thing
in determining the value of sire. Just
as the colt, which presumptively in
herits "a wonderful burst Of speed, -
may from inherited physical weakness
fail to approach the record expected, so
may the daughter OF the most high. bred
sire fail to approach, in milk-produc-
ton, the record of his dam.
By record keeping, and a careful
weeding-ou of Improbable stock,
combined with an equally careful
selection Of pure bred sires, and good
care, the average production of the
Minnesota cow can be raised from l6O
lbs. Of butter to twice that amount.
With a million COWS, the latter figure
would mean an addition to the dairy
revenues of our State of from $50. O0O,-
900 to $40, 600. 900 year. And the IN
strumentalitles for attaining this result
are so simple-the scales the Babcock
test and the suiting Of the ration to
the cow-that it seems hardly possible
that many of our dairymen will be
long content with any inferior system.
Condensed in part from address be-
fore the Northwestern Guernsey
Breeder Association by Prof George
P. Grout.-C. X. Barns, Extension
Division, Minnesota Agricultural Col
IaQo