News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-11-15
LIKE OLD-TIME PREACHERS
(From the Lamoille County Farm
Bureau)

preacher, going ABOUT lroH COM
munity to community, was in the old
days, the COW tester of today is to
the dairy farmer. And just as in the
old days these sturdy preachers held
men and women to the stern path of
strict religious thought and action,
so in the new days the cow testers
hold the dairy farmers they visit up
to higher standards, higher ideals
and more efficient methods in their
business.
Like the preachers of old, too, the
cow testers reck not of hardship, or
weather, nor do they consult their
own comfort or convenience. At the
appointed time they come around to
each farm, do their work and go on
to the next farm. Sometimes it is
only trip to a neighbor's, but
often, in spite of the best planned
routing, stops will be many miles
apart. That is all right in summer;
many people pay good money for the
privilege of travelling through Ver-
mont in vacation season. But it's a
very different story in winter when
the wind howls across the hill tops
and sweeps through the Valleys
when the snow piles high and every
one is glad to stay indoors. That
makes no difference to the COW tester;
whether it rains, halls, sleets, SHOWS
or blows he comes at the regular
time.
More than that, he comes with
smile on his face.> If all the farm
homes where the COW testers come
have as friendly a feeling for their
testers as do those homes we visited,
there is considerably more to this
matter of COW testing than appears
in the mere records of pounds of milk
produced, and pounds of grain fed.
There is the very human element of
a friendly visitor, someone from out
side who sees life from many view
points and finds it good, We are not
sure whether this is religion or
darying, but it's a good thing, any
how.
At one time there were forty-seven
cow-testing associations in Vermont.
Then they dropped down to six active
ones. This sudden falling off in num-
bers is a story in itself and is a
good thing TO. look back on. For it !
was not that the associations became
weak or that interest waned. 1t was
because their testers, all being young, |
active men and good loyal Ameri- !
cans, practically all went into the
service, many of them going over
seas, to laugh at great hardships,
and face great dangers. The same
qualities which made them good test
ers made them good fighters, good
buddies.
But it was hard blow to cow
testing in the state to have all these
leaders going away, with almost no
possibility Of replacing them at that
time. Association after association
was forced to suspend operations,
simply because no testers were avail
able. The state leader did his best
and some few men were found who
for some physical reason could not
90 into the army.
If we heard Alright, there was one
ester with a wooden leg and one old
enough to receive a pension, pressed {
nto the service at that time. But
or the most part the associations /.
we're forced into inactivity through =
he impossibility of finding a tester. t
Not Recovered Yet
Even yet they have not fully re-
overed from this blow. In spite of
he steady, persistent efforts of the -,
tate supervisor, H. E. Bremen, there |
re still number of old associations l
yhich have not been revived. 1t is t
ot to be expected that they would !
or some time, for it is an old, old 3
tory in all farm organizations that
ne men who are to be, the most a
enefited, the rank and file of the r
armers themselves, somehow feel =
lat they are doing someone a favor "
hen they join an association. In n
,ality the favor is being done them W
let them in. All they pay is the W
are cost of the service; not even VI
lat in most cases. And they get
,ry much more than they pay for
every case. Innumerable instances y,
uld be cited of farmers who have n
en saved a loss on one boarder b
W alone, which would more than su
ual what the association cost them IN
T a year. This is in dollars and .
nts, for there is no such thing as m
counting for the stimulation to OF
tier practices, the encouragement pr