The New York farmer who is producing milk is aware that at the present day it is much more difficult to make a profit from the herd than in former years; yet few realize that the cost of producing milk has doubled in the last fifteen years. Since the price at which the product is sold has not increased in like proportion it becomes necessary for the individual cow in the herd to produce a much larger quantity of milk and fat from the same quantity of food in order to make a profit for her owner. There are many unprofitable cows; this is the reason that we hear in recent years so much about the boarder cow. At the present time without doubt one-third of the cows are not profitable to their owners.

The following tables show the increase in the price of grain feeds in the last fifteen years at Delhi, N. Y., and the Borden's price of milk at the Delhi station:

Increase in fifteen years, 39 per cent.

Taking into consideration the increase in the price of roughage and labor and the increase in the value of cows, which makes a like increase in the interest on the investment and the depreciation on the herd, we can safely say that it is costing the farmer at least 85 per cent. more to produce milk than it did fifteen years ago; while the increase in the selling price is only about 40 per cent.- and nothing has been said about the increased demands of the consumer.

The cow testing association gives the farmer the information that will enable him to cull out the unprofitable cows from the herd; it tells which cows to keep the heifer calves from in order to raise better cows; it enables him to distribute his feed in proportion to the milk and fat produced, and stimulates better work both on the part of the dairyman and his help in caring for the herd and the milk- all of which helps to solve the problem of economical production.

The cow testing work in New York State began in 1907 with some work done under the direction of the State College of Agriculture. The next year on May 1, 1908, the Ithaca Association was formed, being the first association in the state. On April 1, 1910, field work was begun in two more associations, at Madrid,

St. Lawrence county, and Delhi, Delaware county. At the close of the year 1911 eight associations were in operation four in Delaware county, two in St. Lawrence, and one each in Chautauqua and Tompkins. During the year 1912, six more were added to the list, making a total of fourteen.

On January 1, 1913, the cow testing work was put in charge of the Bureau of Farmers' Institutes. On March 21, Director van Alstyne called a conference at Albany of those interested in the work, which was attended by representatives from the College of Agriculture and the Morrisville School, the farm bureau agents and the members of the institute force engaged in dairy work. Plans of organization and management were discussed and a set of resolutions adopted and sent to the various associations. During the ten months from January 1, 1913 to November 1, 1913, seventeen associations have been organized with a total of 7,000 cows, 1,000 of which are pure-bred animals. The total number of associations in actual operation on November 1, 1913, was twenty-four, while the other four contemplate beginning work during November. The total number of cows in all associations now organized is 13,867.

As to their ability to reduce the cost of production of milk we will let the associations speak for themselves. Five hundred and thirty-five cows in the Delhi Association, as shown by the creamery records, produced 270,179 pounds more milk than 536 cows in the same association and in the same herds produced the year before records were kept the result of culling out the poor cows and a more intelligent management.

Four herds in the Ithaca Association increased the profit over their feed as shown by the following table:

The following tables show the possibilities of lowering the cost of production by selection; and that good cows are found in the poorest herds. The six best and the six poorest are taken from twenty herds in two associations.

The table shows that while the average cow in the poorest herds cost her owner a loss of $8 a year; the average of the best ten in the same herds made a profit of $17.40 per cow and the average best cow made $38.72 profit over all expenses. In the best six herds although the average cow made $11.45 profit, the best ten raised it to $42.92 and the best cow to $68.20, making $100.74 over her feed. The owners of the poorest herds were obliged to work long hours in order to make a day's wages while the best cows in the same herds paid all food, interest and depreciation and gave a day's wages in 3 hours and 31 minutes.

COWS.

If these dairymen wish shorter hours they must keep better The labor, interest and depreciation cost are based on data given by the owners of the herds and are as follows: Labor, $20.84; depreciation, $8.45; interest, $3.25 per cow. Time spent in milking and care for a year per cow, 117 hours. charge for time 18 cents per hour, or $1.80 per day.

Average