FARMER, KNOW THY HERD

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1057, 21 February 1911, Page 8

FARMER, KNOW THY HERD

: v the: VAI>UE bP-BEconbs;:', x 1 'Dairymen" ami pr'ospcctivo dairymen r would not snd it a. waste of time to dc- [ '.vote..'#' few hours' to', a visit to. Wcreroa i Stato Farm.: Tho system, oil which th'o ! dairy. herd is worked is ono which in- [ eludes, somo features well worthy of emuI lation. i - For several years past tho milk of , every cow, in the herd has been weighed at every night and every morning milki iiig', during: her whole period of lactation. The shed, which has a.coucreto . floor, adequately drained and channelled, i has a lino of two rails run down tile i. centre. On this railway there is a truck, , whichJiolds,the cans.. Tho truck is filled i with a board which serves for n-dosk on which to.rest a sheet containing, clearly- | headed columns in which to writo tho morning, and the evening records of the . cows, A spring balance is attached to the truck, the milk is weighed, the weight is entered in tho particular columns opposite tho cow's name, and a samplo is put in the cow's "test bottle; The. whole operation can be performed in the time which would bo occupied by the milk being taken to a stand some distance away. Tho truck is not allowed to stand in the shed, .but is runv along to.'- tCy building . where tho milk»is tipped out'and'cooled down- right away." That cooling down process is one. of the most ! important ■ which could be undertaken >in the: handling of milk. Milk is a great breeding ground for germs/'especially if. warm, and the. keeping quality of the liquid is much improved by immediato. cooling .down."', v > ■ • : -I* Again touching on the subject., of. records, it is worth noting .that the bulls offered .by the State for sale havo brought .prices, iii proportion to the .productivity of.;their',-dams. ' It" is""a.'go6d sign' that the farmers realifo the value of buying bulls - which are the progeny of cows which have; proved themselves first-class milkers. - . - ■ ■