Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-11-26

two hands SO that one may be set to
rest at zero when the bucket is on the
hook. Then when the milk is weigh
ed there is no subtracting OF the
should be lacked up in the barn, near
the scales. where it will be handy to
put down at each milking just what
each COW has given. 1t a then be
told in a short time what ones 1t
would pay to feed heavier. and also
perhaps, what ones it would pay to
sell to the butcher.
However, the keeping Of the
amount of milk given each day is
a part of the record. At least once a
month there should be samples or
each cows milk tested. All of the
diaries and cream stations are equip
ped with testers, and will be glad to
do this for their patrons. The proper
way to make a test of milk is to take
a composite sample. That is. fer two
or three days. at each milking.
milk in the pail should be carefully
! stirred and a small amount taken out
and put into a pint jar, which has the
cows name on it. In cool weather
t this could be done at each milking
for three or -four days. and then this
jar sent to the cream station. or to
some of the high schools. where they
have testers, and tested. The per cent
of butter fat, together with the yield
| of milk. is the real test of the COW. A
butter fat test alone means very little.
because in a herd where a large num-
Der of cows are being MIXED, one COW
gave milk averaging 4.6 per cent OF
butter fat, and produced 425 pounds
of butter fat in a year. Another COW
in the same herd gave milk averaging
SIS per cent butter fat. but produced
only 1877 pounds of butter fat in a
year. 1t will readily be seen that the
COW with the high per cent of butter
fat was very far from being as pront-
able a cow as the m with the
per cent. In fact. the COW giving the
high per cent of butter fat. after she
was charged up with the amount OF
feed she consumed during the year,
left the owner in debt $11.00, while
the other COW, produced a profit OF
nearly $4,000. 1t will be seen that
! the only way to know which of these
cows was giving the most profit was
to have a daily record of their MIX
yield, and also a, test of the amount
of butter fat there was in their milk.
The cost of producing the milk
must also be considered as we'll as the
quantity. In a test made of a herd
for seven weeks. where all the cows
were given the same kind of feed, the
cost for feed. of producing 100
pounds of milk. varied with the COW:
lTOH oil " 10 SCllSs AAiN Ian -
producing a pound of butter from Z
to Is cents. AS a rule the heavy
feeder in the herd is the most profit
able. That is, it takes the same
amount of feed to keep the cows
body alive, whether she gives u
pounds of butter fat in a year or 4OO
pounds, and nothing is received for
this part of the feed. If the COW eats
lust a little more than is required to
keep her alive, her yield will be small,
and the cost high. while if she eats a
large quantity above what is required
to maintain her body, she will give
returns from a larger proportion of
her feed. 1t is much cheaper to milk
and ARE for n COW giving 800
pounds of butter fat in a year than
it is to care for three cows giving lOO
pounds of butter fat each year.
The dairyman who wants to obtain
the highest yields of butter fat must
feed right. take proper care of his
cows. test and weed out the poor ones
and keep only those that produce
high yields of butter fat at low cost.
These will be the cows that consume
large amounts of feed and turn it into
milk.