Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1920-01-06
Testing Cows.

For many years we have urged the i'm
portance and the value of knowing what
each COW in the herd is capable OF pro-
ducing each year. This is the only way
to determine the real capacity of every
animal. 1t Is q we'll known fact that
cows produce especially we'll one year
and perhaps the following year will pro-
duce very ordinarily, but If a record is
kept of each cow J ear after year then the
average production will be known. This
makes it possible for the breeder to se.
lect his animals carefully and eliminate
those which are not capable OF measur-
| ing up 10 profitable returns.
Test work has developed very largely
the past ten or fifteen years and many
COWS are making short and long time
ecords. There has been value In all the
work done although, In many instances,
official and semi-o fficial records are being
made under extraoI dinary care and feed
ing and in some cases the animals have
been forced which has not been condu-
Give 10 the development of dairy quail
ties nor has II given the facts 30 highly
essential to the building Of good herd
In making many of the seven-day rec
ords, COWS are dried off early and permit.
ted to rest long periods in order to be in
physical condition to produce especially
large flows of milk containing abnof-
mally high fat percentages. No ope who
knows the factors necessary to the devel-
opmept of a cow would advocate ber
resting long periods for such short
race. In making yearly records the cow,
in too many instances, ia carefully pre-.
pared and given extraordinary care and
feed, which makes official and semiof
cial tests burden many people feel they
cannot afford to assume.
We can see the advantages Of now and
then taking COW and finding out just
W hat it is possible for her to do through
careful preparation, good feeding, and
extraordinary care, but when this kind
of testing is done generally and there Is
no heart for doing official and semi-offi.
cial work on a basis of good care and
good feed, under herd conditions, then
we feel serious mistake Is being made.
We shall not develop herds of milking
animals in the way we should until more
yearly work is done under good herd
conditions. Some cows milk profitably
three times day but there are many
animals that will makea creditable years
work MIXED but twice day. We know,
for this is the method used in making
records on the Hoard's Dairymsn Farm.
1t has never been our practice to force
animals to make large records but We
have endeavored to build up herd
whose average production is good. Rec
OF de made on this basis year after year
will give valuable information for max
ing selections for the future herd and
also in making eliminatioDs. Itdoes not
involve 30 much extra work that the Or
dinary breeder and farmer cannot afford
to do it. Records made in this way may
not have the value when it comes to sell
ing animals at exceptionally high prices
but they will have the value for develop
ing capable dairy cows. That is what We
desire, and not few animals that do e1-
ceptionally well.
We do not believe we can develop our
herds to give US the largest returns until
we test all COWS and know what they are
capable OF doing in each lactation period.
But this will never be done under sys-
tenn which requires as much work as il
devoted to mapy cows now making off,
cial and sem.official records. We would
urge that there be more testing under
what may be termed good, average herd
conditions and care.-Hoard's Dairy man