Attempts to determine by experiment which is the best dairy breed have not been entirely satisfactory or convincing, on account of the huge number of factors which have to be taken into account in determining this, aside from the yield and composition of the milk, such as hardiness, constitution, adaptability to given conditions, feed requirements and economy, ultimate value for beef, etc. The results are chiefly of interest as showing what the different dairy breeds have done under uniform conditions. The experiment stations in Maine, New Jersey, and New York have made the most extensive breed tests of any in the United States, and the results have been compiled by Prof. F. W. Woll as follows:
Comparisons of Breeds of Cows at American Experiment Stations
| BREED | Cows included |
Lactation periods |
Average yields per lactation period |
Average fat content of milk |
Average cost of | |||
| Milk | Butter fat |
Food eaten per day |
Producing 100 pounds of milk |
Producing 1 pound of fat | ||||
| Number | Number | Pounds | Pounds | Per cent. | Cents | Cents | Cents | |
| Ayrshire | 10 | 20 | 6,909 | 248.5 | 3.60 | 14.5 | 78.5 | 21.5 |
| Devon | 3 | 5 | 3,984 | 183.3 | 4.60 | 10.3 | 94.0 | 20.5 |
| Guernsey | 8 | 10 | 6,210 | 322.9 | 5.20 | 13.5 | 82.8 | 15.8 |
| Holstein-Friesian | 9 | 10 | 8,215 | 282.0 | 3.43 | 17.2 | 74.7 | 21.5 |
| Jersey | 9 | 18 | 5,579 | 301.1 | 5.40 | 13.9 | 94.7 | 17.4 |
| Shorthorn | 4 | 5 | 8,696 | 345.4 | 3.97 | 14.3 | 78.7 | 19.4 |
| Total | 43 | 68 | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... |
The Chicago World's Fair breed test was the most famous test of its kind ever conducted. Although open to all breeds, only the Guernsey, Jersey, and Shorthorn breeders' associations entered the competition, and they selected the best cows of their respective breeds to be found. The results of the butter and cheese tests with these three breeds are summarized as follows:
World's Fair Breed Tests, 1893
No. 1, Cheese Test, 15 Days, May
| COWS IN TEST | Milk produced |
Fat in milk |
Cheese made |
Price of cheese per pound |
Cost of feed |
Net gain |
| Pounds | Pounds | Pounds | Cents | Dollars | Dollars | |
| 25 Jerseys | 13.296.4 | 601.91 | 1,451.8 | 13.36 | 98.14 | 119.82 |
| 25 Guernseys | 10,938.6 | 488.42 | 1,130.6 | 11.95 | 76.25 | 88.30 |
| 25 Shorthorns | 12,186.9 | 436.60 | 1,077.6 | 13.00 | 99.36 | 81.36 |
No. 2, 90-day Butter Test, June, July, August
| COWS IN TEST | Milk produced |
Fat in milk |
Butter credited |
Proceeds of butter |
Cost of feed |
Net gain |
| Pounds | Pounds | Pounds | Dollars | Dollars | Dollars | |
| 25 Jerseys | 73,488.8 | 3,516.08 | 4,274.01 | 1,747.37 | 587.50 | 1,323.81 |
| 25 Guernseys | 61,781.7 | 2,784.56 | 3,360.43 | 4,355.44 | 439.14 | 997.64 |
| 24 Shorthorns | 66,263.2 | 2,409.97 | 2,890.87 | 1,171.77 | 501.79 | 910.12 |
No. 3, 30-day Butter Test, September
| COWS IN TEST | Milk produced |
Fat in milk |
Butter credited |
Proceeds of butter |
Cost of feed |
Net gain |
| Pounds | Pounds | Pounds | Dollars | Dollars | Dollars | |
| 15 Jerseys | 13,921.9 | 685.81 | 837.21 | 385.59 | 111.24 | 274.13 |
| 15 Guernseys | 13,518.4 | 597.96 | 724.17 | 329.77 | 92.77 | 237.00 |
| 15 Shorthorns | 15,618.3 | 555.43 | 662.67 | 303.69 | 104.55 | 198.89 |
The various breeds continue to have their advocates and admirers, and each breed has some points of advantage. The pure bred stock, however, comprise only a very small fraction of the dairy cows of the United States and Canada. The larger part of the cows are grades, i.e. crosses of natives or ordinary cows with pure breeds. Among these are many excellent animals, rivaling the thoroughbreds in amount and economy of milk-production. Much attention is now being given by dairymen to testing the individual cows of their herds, determining which are the most profitable ones, and gradually eliminating the inferior ones. In this way an improvement of the ordinary stock is going on which, in some sections, has already raised the cows to a high degree of excellence and will ultimately result in a much higher standard for good dairy cows.
The following books treat of the history, breeds, and management of cattle: Sanders, The Breeds of Live Stock (Chicago, 1887); G. W. Curtis, Horses, Cattle, Sheep, and Swine (New York, 1893); Wallace, Farm Live Stock of Great Britain (Edinburgh, 1889); Flint, American Farmer (Hartford, Conn., 1884); Alvord, “Breeds of Dairy Cattle,” in United States Department of Agriculture Farmers' Bulletin 106 (Washington, 1898); Coleman, Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs of Great Britain (London, 1887); T.
