Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1917-01-03
KEEP cows RECORD.

Value of Cow-Testing Associations
Observation-Disclosures Of
ten Deceptive in Dairy Cows.
That the appearance of a dairy
COW can not be depended on to in
dicate her production Of milk is il
lustrated by demonstration con-
Quoted under the auspices of the
Dairy Division Of the department
with herd Of nine cows at the Ma
tional Dairy Show held recently at
Springfield, Mass.
A years record of milk and butter
fat already had been made for all
the cows of the herd. During the
show complete records of production
and feed consumption were kept and
in every case the previous records
were duplicated. Some of the cows
were of poor dairy type, yet were
good producers; others were of good
dairy type, yet were poor producers;
still others of similar appearance
had greatly different records. Of
the last-named class were Moss and
9. Many experienced stockmen sell
ected No. 9 as the better of the two,
but the records showed that for the
last year No. 8 gave 8,445 pounds
of milk and 346 Of fat compared
with 4,279 pounds of milk and>198
of fat for No. 9. This served as an
object lesson to the hundreds of peo-.
pie who daily viewed the demonstra-
ton that good dairy type is not al
ways associated with large rrodue-
ton and that poor dairy type does.
not indicate lack Of large yield. s.
What does it cost to keep dec
ords 2" was a common question of
the dairymen. In cow-testing asso-
Citations, where the above-quoted rec
ords We're made, the charge is $3.50
month for each cow, and in addi-
tion the board Of the tester for one
day each month. With feed, labor,
and live stock so high, it certainly is
imperative to eliminate every un-
necessary expense like the "boarder'
or 'robber" COW that fails to paw
for even her feed.
In the big room at the dairy show
where the cows were sanctioned
were several hundred comfortable
seats. Here several times each day
well-known dairymen from various
parts IF the country talked to the
large audiences on dairy problems,
illustrating their remarks with the
cows Of the demonstration herd.
Especial emphasis was laid upon the
value of records in ecomical manage
ment.
Cooperative bull associations were
carefully described and their many
advantages explained. That is was
possible to have high-class bulls of
the finest breeding for the use of a
dairyman with only a few cows
seemed to many farmers as too
good to be true, especially when the
cost was even less than in the case
of scrub bulls. In this connection
the charts that illustrated the con
dltlons at Roland, Iowa, before and
after the organization of bull asso-
ciation, elected much interest. At
that place, for yearly investment
OF $3.50 each, the members have the
use of five $240 bulls for 10 years. .
On the walls of the demonstration
room were pictures of famous dairy
animals, charts showing results of
record keepingi ETC.. Adjoining were
skeleton, milk 'or dairy. houses; with
the. sides only. partially finished, to-
|sshcw. che CONSTRUCTION; also a model:
of a dairy barn and of "a silo::. Tn:
the milk houses was dairy equip
ment, and man in charge answered
questions on dairying and explained
the construction of these and all
other kinds Of dairy buildings.
At regular periods demonstrations
in the sterilization of milk utensils
were given with the Inexpensive
farm sterilizer described in Farm.
ers' Bulletin 74S; these demonstra-5
tions were well attended.
There was also keen interest in
every part of the demonstrations, as
may be judged from the fact that
about 5000 people listened to lee
tures and fully $4,000 viewed the ex-
hibits.
Mr.. and Mrs. Andrew NJ. Ander-
son, Of Farley, are making a holiday
visit with relatives and friends at
Havana, III.