The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-02-09
TESTING DAIRY COWS.
Increased Profits 40 Result Of Coop.
eratiVe Work--Bull Associations
Raise Quality ~ Nrrds

eratlve Work-Bull Associations
Raise Quality 81 Nrrds.
Increases a. irons $40 10 $I5 ana In
some csNes mucu higher in fEa annual
profits from each dairy COW have re-
suited from the organization OF coop
rratlye cow testing associations In the
nited States according 20 statistics
gathered by the dairy division OF the
United States department Of agricul
iuEe The expense Of membership In
these associations on the other hand
has been only about 81 so per COW per
year, Tho organizations therefore
have been very profitable.
Because ~ the great and obvious
economic advantages arising from the
associations dairy specialists 81 the
department believe that the 0FganiZa-.
lions are one OF the most important
factors for the upbuilding and deyel-
opment Of the dairy Industry in the
country Such an organ IZafiOn con
siats generally OF 20 farmers, living
Nithin radius Of a few miles, who
cooperate TO hire an expert tester to
keep accurate accounts of the
amounts and cost OF feed consumed
by each COW iu the association, the
quantity Of milk produced by each
pud It's richness in butter fat These
alatistic5 usually reveal the fact that
some cows are not producing enough
@ pay for their keep, while others are
highly profitable. Acting on this In
formation the owner Of the cows dis
poses Of the least desirable Of his an
imais and makes up his herd exclu
aiyeiy OF those that produce a cnnsid.
cradle profit
The membership OF the association
~ placed AZ rs so that the tester can
make complete round each month
deVoting one work day 10 each mem
Der. and that he can keep his records
on monthly basis, IA has been found
by careful experiments that the aver
ages based on monthly tests do not
vary more than z per cent from the
production. as shown by the daily oh,
seryations Since The tester Is an ex-
pert and can make the necessary tests
aud computations rapidly. and since
ho can be- depended ca 10 make his
observations Independently OF pres
sure OF ork on the Individual farm.
the owners OF dairy cows find it
cheaper and more satisfactory n|
many eases 70 have their testing done
through the association than to under.
Take to do II themselves.
There are now nearly $50 COW test
ing associations In the United States
i3O having been added during the
last year These associations have an
aggregate Wctnbership OF $500 farm
era. o@n,ng approximately 100. O0O
COWS Fhe oow-testing association
originated In Denmark in 1895 and
the hrst OF the organizations ia this
country was formed in Michigan in|
1906, Because OF the value OF the
associations 10 the dairy industry
81 the country the United states de-
partment OF agriculture Is stimulat.
inE interest in them and Is assisting
farmers IN their organ cation
Bull Associations.
Another and somewhat similar line
OF cooperative work which Is being
encouraged by the department for the
Improvement "a dairylng and cattle
raising u Che formation OF bull assn
Citations, The function OF these organ.
nations Ii 10 make available, at slight
expense, the services OF pure bred
bulls Tor the herds ut the associated
farmers, II has been found that OF,
ten the total value OF the scrub bulla|
owned BY farmers IL sufficient u sup.
ply through bull association pure
bred bulls for the herds OF all. Al
AAAhNE ~ bAotAa VI the AAaOClha
members are formed and pure-bred
bull placed ia zach. The bulls are
shifted every two years TO prevent in
breeding
considerable proportion OI the
nearly - million eOWa Ia the United
states aro too inferior TO produce
pgohtably Where the bull associa,
tuua have been formed tho grade OF
he stock has been raised appreciably,
Dairy specialists OF the department
believe that these associations viii be
an important factor in increasing
tho quality OF dairy cattle throughout
the country.