The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-06-09
In Testing The Cows Of
Knox County
ViVidIy Described By SGC'y
P. J. Cummings

The address of Paul j. Cummings of
Fredericktown before the chamber of
commerce Wednesday on the work of
the Knox County Cow Testing associa-
tion is regarded of such value to farm
ers and dairymen of the county that
The Banner herewith reproduces it in
full.
am pleased to be present today and
to have this opportunity to present to
you some of the principal features of
Cow Testing Associations and with
some special reference to The Knox
County Association. AS probably many
of those present are not familiar with
the history of these testing associa-
tions it may be interesting to know
that the idea originated in Denmark,
in 1895, twenty-one years ago. From
Denmark it spread to other European
countries. The total number for all
Europe in 1914 is given as approxi-
mately 5000. In 1914 in the United
States there were but 165 associations
in operation. The first association in
the United States was organized in
Fremont County, Mich, in 1905. AS
late as 1908 only six associations had
been formed. The next year the num-
ber increased to 25 and each year has
shown nice increase. In Ohio, at
the time of the organization of the
Knox County Association, in May of
last year, there were but three in ac-
tive operation. Columbiana County
had two, one organized several years
ago, called the Winona Association,
and the other the Salem Association,
and the third was the Barnesville AS
sociation. The Knox County Associa-
tion, which began testing May 10th,
1915, was fourth in the list and the
Licking County Association was the
fifth. There are now about 20 in opera
tion and more partially organized. The
increase should be rapid as the bene-
fetal results become more generally
recognized.
1t is conceded that many farmers are
milking COWS that do not pay for the
feed consumed. The average produc-
tion of COWS for the United States as
given out by the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture, is approximately
1000 pounds of milk and 100 pounds of
butter fat in year. This average,
Prof. Err, of the Dairy Department of
Ohio State University, advises is in
excess of that for Knox county. The
best dairymen state that there Is no
profit to be secured from such produc-
tion, and, of course, there are many
cows that fall below these figures A
comparison of these averages with
some of the leading dairy cows of the
United States is interesting. Remem-
Der, please, that the yearly average for
Knox County is some less than 1000
pounds Of milk and 100 pounds of but
ter fat. A recent champion cow, gave
in one year 24,612 pounds of milk and
1116 pounds of butter fat A COW own
ed at the famous Barber farm, near
Akron, gave 2400S pounds of milk and
1898 pounds of butter fat. A third COW
gave 1858 pounds of milk and 1918
pounds of fat and a fourth 27404
pounds Of milk and 1858 pounds of fat.
You will note the last COW mentioned
produced more milk than the first COW
but her milk, as we generally speak of
it was not as rich, that is, it did not
test as high in butter fat and it is on
the butter fat basis that the records
are computed. A California COW, be-
lieve, holds the record for milk pro-
duction, her record being not far from
$4,000 pounds in year. Most of these
high record COWS are of special breed
ing and have had scientific care, both
as to feeding and as to barn condi-
tions. They show, however, the possi
bilities of production and make the
lowly average of Knox County COWS,
look very Insignificant. Who knows but
what some Knox County COWS have
great record possibilities in them and
that our testing association may ferret
them out. 1t is really more to be hoped,
however, that it will result in raising
the average production to a point
where it will be more generally recog-
nized and more profitable. Expert
ments continually show that it is i'm
possible for any man, however exper-
fenced he may be, to estimate with ac-
curacy the yearly production of milk of
any cow. A man cannot guess, ordin-
arily, within quart of how much milk
there is in pail and if he is selling
his product on a butter fat basis he
knows even less of the yield from
each individual COW. The main pur-
pose then of the Cow Testing Associa-