The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-09-14
OPT" r. H. "a"sszz-1s-pa.. s-.s,z4g 4
REPORT SHOWING YEARLY PRODUCTION OF COW.

| prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
The dairy cows of the United States
now number approximately 22,0OO,0OO.
The milk, cream and manufactured
products, as butter, cheese, ice cream,
condensed milk, etc., from these cows
have an estimated value of nearly ST.
000,00O,000.
In nearly all herds of which records
individual cows differ widely in pro-
duction, even with the same feed and
care; and this difference exists among
all kinds of grade and purebred dairy
cows, as well as among cows of COM
mon stock. In 1915, in Wisconsin's Al
contrasting associations, out of 1900
COWS tested, 1875 were disposed OF as
nproftable-about one in every five.
Using this proportion in the total num-
Der of dairy cows in the United States,
100000 cows would be eliminated as
improbable. 1t seems only sensible,
therefore, that the dairyman should
make every effort to discover the IN
profitable cows and weed them from
the herd. Through the keeping of rec
ords the improbable cows can be de-
tected and eliminated and the profit
able cows kept in the herd for breed
ing purposes. The next step is to per-
petuate these good qualities by using
a registered bull of dairy merit. But
that is another story.
FaIIacious Belief.
Many dairymen believe that they
can pick out their best producing cows |
without keeping a record. The fallacy |
of this belief is demonstrated every |
day by the records of the cow-testing |
associations throughout the country. |
Seven cows maintained on a dairy |
farm are taken as basis for the rec
work to be illustrated.
While the cows are all grade Jerseys,
they possess individual characteristics
that affect materially their net profit
to the owner. Is it possible to tell by |
looking at these cows how much milk
hey will produce in one year, what
It tests, and how much profit they will
return to the owner?
The first step in determining the eff
fciency of each cow is the keeping
If debit and credit account, in which
he cow is charged with the cost of the
hay, silage and grain she consumes
ind credited with the value of the
milk produced. The dairyman can
,eep such q record at very little ex-
)ense. To begin this work he must
lave a milk scale and supply of rec
,rd sheets. A spring balance, or milk
Gale, made especially for weighing |
milk, may be purchased from any ;
house at approximately (
8. Sample record sheets may be OBJ {
aimed through the state extension de-
artment, or through the dairy divi-
ion, bureau of animal industry, Unit {
d States department of agriculture. |
IN the monthly milk and feed record t
beet are entered the names of the i
ows and the weights of the different Il
seds consumed and of the milk pro- Il
uced at each milking. A ten-day Il
eriod has been found to be convent C
III uull VI tiluC III lhC lOSu iNNOANf u
nee changes in feed rarely are made n
rtener. The milk is recorded at each C
liking and totaled for the month. For c
lie period that the cow is dry 1t is RI
svertheless necessary to keep the rec a
ID of feed consumed, so that the to- "
i cost of feed for the year may be
'nsidered in determining the profit or 81
So. s,
Weighing the Milk. II
The milk scale Is graduated In tt
funds and tenths, so that it is easy tt
add the figures on the milk sheet. tt
ne dial has two hands; the black one lie
dicates the actual weight, while the W
d is adjustable and can be set at any W
sired weight. The empty pail or be
eighing can is hung on the scale and to
e red hand set at zero, and the black lii
nd indicates the weight of the pail. Gu
hen the milk is weighed In the pail. IL,
e red hand Indicates the net weight WI