Imperial Valley press., 1916-08-29
COW TESTING ON
SEPTEMBER PROGRAM

SEf ElIDEIC L NOJItANl
That cow testing, followed by Gull
ing out Of "boardels" and building up
Of dairy herds by use Of good bulls,
would increase the butterfat produc
Ition Of Imperial valley by many hun
di ed thousand dollars q year, without
ian accompanying increase in number
Of COWS, is the assertion of Count
Farm Adviser Paul l. Dougherty.
The whole matter Of cow testing will
lie discussed as the feature Of the Sep
tcmber program of the twelve farm
centeIs in the county.
Before coming to Imperial valley Mr.
Dougherty assisted i'll the organization
of several COW testing associations in
ether parts Of the state, and has kept
Informed on their prooress.
In the first three years of the Fern
dale Cow Testing association, in Hum
boldt County, California, the eight
herds which were tested the three
years increased their production per
cow from 25l pounds to 291.5 pounds
fat He says "this was made possible
through culling out poor cows and
Us ing good bulls" Says Mr.. Dougher-
", the increase in these herds permit
ed them to keep about the same num-
ner Of cows, around 600, through the
three years. These results have been
cqualed in other associations.
eff the 10000 cows now being milk
ed in Imperial valley were tested, Gull
led, and built up through good bulls,
and like results secured, the increase
in butterfat production per year at the
erd of the third year would be 100000
pounds fat, valued at 2S cents, total
ing $336,000. To get this extra money
The dairymen would milk no more
COWS and feed but little more hay than
now. Furthermore, this additional in
ccme would tend to stay put, for the
poor COW once culled, adds no more
poor hefers to the heru.
There is but one way to find which
cow increases the cream check, and
" hich only adds to the appearances
of the ranch. That way is the use Of
the milk scales and Babcock test at
regular intervals over the whole period
Of lactation.
Any. dairyman can provide himself
with an outfit and after little prac-
tee do accurate weighing and testing,
and know who's who in his herd. The
fact that individual testing by the
dairymen involves too much invest
ment in apparatus and too much both
er is shown by the very few men at
present testing here.
"The practical and accurate way is
Il rough cooperative testing. An eX-
rcrt tester will then devote his whole
time to testing, staying with each
tiairyman one day a month. He will
VIC gh the milk from each cow two con-
secutive milkings, run 4 butterfat test,
and figure what each COW is doing. On
the basis of these monthly tests, at
the end of the year the dairyman will
know what each Of his cows has done.
The whole cost is the cost of hiring
the tester, and supplying his outfit
and acid 1t should run about 81 per
COW per year.
"The COW testing committee of the
county farm bureau mas decided that
the best form of organization for this
county would be a COW testing depart
ment of the farm bureau. The farm
bureau in this way would stand spon-
soi for COW testing and give it per-
n,anence and countrywide unity. There
would be, however, no financial con-
nection between the farm bureau and
its cow testing department, except
tlat the directors might audit its ex-
penditurcs.
"At the September meetings in the
fam centers, the whole subject of cow
testing will be completely discussed,
and the results in other COW testing
associations in California illustrated
with lantern slides. Other topics con-
nected with dairying Will also be con-
sidered. All dairymen are invited to
attend"