COW TESTING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 96, 13 June 1911, Page 3

COW TESTING.

The United States, Canada, ami Denmark all report that their systematic testing of the relative milk and hutter-l’at producing capacity of each of the cows in their herds is unquestionably the most profitable dairying reform that they have yet introduced. It is found that a cow has to earn at least from £7 to £8 a year before anything appreciable in the wav of a profitable return can bo realised. 1 ndcr the system of organised testing, herds are now quoted as having gone up'to averages of £lO, £l2, and £l-1 a head, with the improved ref t ns slid st adily im t cj.e!ing, as the result of culling out the unprofitable producers and retaining only those which give the highest net •return over expenses. The Director of Agriculture in Canada reports that he is now convinced, from the results of the system so far. that the milking capacity of their herds can eventually bo raised to 20001hs per head per annum, which means a pro,speclive addition of £0,000,000 per annum from the same number of cows. Dining’ the operations of this testing process il lias been found in the countries already mentioned that many dairy fanners had for years been keeping cows in their herds 'which did not nay working expenses. In these instances “keeping cows” was noted as quite properly describing the situation, in that many of the cows were being kept bv their owners instead of the cows keeping ; them.