The Monmouth inquirer., 1925-09-10
More Good Cows
Needed on Farms
Testing Associations
Show Individual Pro-
duction Records.

Of AKrieulture.)
First-class, profitable dairy farms
are usually found in groups. The
center Of each group is some farm,
some man, some idea, says the United
States Department OF Agriculture.
The 7S2 ~cow-testing associations
now active in the United States rep
resent that many groups of improved
dairy farms. What has been accom-
plished ty these groups for the dairy
industry and for the members of these
associations is told in Farmers Bulle-
tin 1446, entitled 'Cow-Testing Asso-
Citations and Stories the Records Tell"
and is now ready for distribution.
The purpose of this bulletin is 10
show the need and the value of cow-
testing associations. 10 present briefly
some of the outstanding results OBJ
tanned from a tabulation Of cow-test-
ing association data, and to show
how such associations may be organ-
lied and conducted.
More Good Cows Needed.
In most sections of the country we
have enough cows, but not good
enough cows, says the author of the
bulletin. Our slogan should not be
More Cows" but More Good Cows"
Here is one place where there is an
abundance of room al the top. Know
ing the individual production records
of the cows in the herd is one way to
get more good cows. This information
is made available to dairymen through
the ~cow-testing association.
In the Newaygo county (Mich.) cow
testing association the herd that one
year had the highest average produc-
ton of butterfat per COW consisted Of
10 cows, and the herd that had the
lowest average production consisted
of 20 COWS. The herd of 10 cows
had a total income over cost of feed
of $666 and the herd of 20 cows $455.
The owner of the larger herd needed
9 more COWS of the kind he was
keeping to get as much income over
cost of feed as was produced by the
smaller herd.
1t is better, however. to own 10
good COWS than % poor ones. 1t de-
mands less labor and other costs. To
build up a herd of 10 good cows re-
quires much headwork. To take care
of a herd of % poor cows requires
much handwork. The man who does
not use his head must work harder
with his hands.
The value of association records is
not limited to the Improvement of
the females of the herd, Tut may
also be used TO determine the true
value of the herd bull or the bulls in
the bull association. In the vicinity
of Grove City. Pa, there are two
bull associations and one cow-testing
association. From the latter, records
are now available for the yearly pro-
duction of IS daughters of the bull
association bulls as well as for the
dam If each daughter.
What Records Show.
When all records were figured to ma
turity, it was found that on an aver-
age the dams produced 8,7S5 pounds
of milk in a year and the daughters
9.212 pounds. The dams averaged 355
pounds Of butterfat a year and the
daughters 1874 pounds. Thus the
daughters produced about s per cent
more milk and about IL per cent more
butterfat than their dams. The figures
further showed that the daughters
were by six bulls, and that in no
case did any daughter bring discredit
to her sire. What would have hap
pened if the IS daughters had been
sired by scrub or Inferior tulls is
not hard to guess.
In nearly every case a ~cow-testing
association depends upon the activity
of a few progressive farmers and cen
tiers around the idea that every dairy
man should know the individual rec
ords of his cows IL he is to manage
and develop his herd profitably. The
knowledge can be obtained through
cow-testing association records.
A copy of the bulletin telling how
to start and conduct an association
may be secured free of charge as long
as the supply lasts, by writing to the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, Washington, d. C.