The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1925-03-26

dairymen prefer young unproyen
bull to an old proven bull. On the
other hand, if the daughters of an old
bull have records proving him to be
an exceptionally good breeder, he can
usually be sold for a good price. This
difference in the sale price of the bull
would often cover the cost of securing
records. on his daughters and their
dams. 1t will pay to stay in the as
sociatiOn to secure these records.
Feed According to Production
The dairyman should feed each COW
according to her production. 1t is
possible to do this fairly well if the
milk is weighed. 1t is still better if
the return for butterfat above feed
cost is figured each month and a rec.
ord kept of it. Then a constant study
can be made of the feeding of each
individual cow year by year and ex-
cellent results can often be secured.
L. A. Rutledge of Thurston county
found at the close of his first wear
IN the COW testing association that
his herd average was 1856 pounds Of
butterfat. The next year he increased
this average to 301 pounds and next
year to 372 pounds. During the two
years he had increased the average
production of his herd 176 pounds of
butterfat. His return for butterfat
above feed cost per cow was $44 the
first year, $50 the second and $113
the third year. This improvement was
due principally to a change in his
feeding methods based On his cow
testing association records kept year
after year.
Keeping records On the production
of individual cows year after wear
will also tend to show the cumulative
effect of feeding methods. The eff
feet of feeding green feeds, such as
silage and roots, tends to show up
greater as records are Kept on the
individual cows year after year. Keep
ing records on the cows year after
year in the experimental dairy herd
of the United States department of
agriculture at Beltsville, Md, brot
those in charge of the herd to a re-
alization that though the herd was
receiving a ration which was consid-
cred good dairy farm ration, some
of the cows were not receiving suf-
ficient minerals.
Increased Value of the Herd
Cow testing association records
help in selling cows and their Off
spring. 1t has been found that grade
cow with q good record will sell for
SIS to $35 more than she would sell
for without the record. 1t means more
to have a record on a cow for sever
al years than for just one year. One
of the good Whatcom county dairy
men who raises all of his heifers and
sells cows for dairy purposes has kept
records on his herd for number of
years. Such records affect the buyer
very favorably. The fact that Sophie
18th of Hood farm, was able to
make big records year after year
was of an immense advertising value
to her owner. Continuous records
have much more sale value than a
record for one year.
Belonging to a cow testing asso-
citation gives the dairyman the ad-
vantage of regular ADVICE from the
tester. The tester is usually able to
advise regarding almost any dairy
problem. The cow tester helps the
dairyman to keep in touch with me-
thods used by other good dairymen.
The longer the dairyman has the
use of the cow tester the better ne
is able to use him just as he learns
through practice to US other employ
ees to good advantage. Ernest
Schmuch of Clallam county says that
as president of cow testing asso-
citation for several years he has no.
ticed that dairymen tend to use the
tester and the records better the Sec
ond year than the first year.
Helps Keep up Interest
Keeping records On the individual
cows helps the dairyman to keep up
his own interest and that of his chill
dren and hired men. Weighing The
milk regularly helps to do this. but
it adds greatly to the interest to know
the monthly value of the product,