INCREASED PRODUCTION IN THE DAIRY HERD. 



By Fred Rasmussen, Professor of Dairying, New Hampshire 



Agricultural College. 



Operating a dairy farm is just as much a business proposi- 

 tion as operating a department store. The dairy farm should 

 return interest on the value of the land and all its equipment 

 and pay wages for every day's labor put into it, whether done 

 by the owner, his family or others. 



It is very difficult to make a statement as to how much milk 

 a cow should give to be profitable, as prices of dairy products 

 vary so widely. From data collected by the Experiment Station 

 on the cost of feeding, and a conservative estimate on the in- 

 vestment and labor, it would seem that 6000 lbs. per cow valued 

 at 3.5 cts. wholesale per quart should be our minimum standard. 

 Statistics show that the average production for New Hampshire 

 is 4224 lbs. of milk per year. 



Seemingly our farmers have been losing money on their 

 dairy cows. This can only be understood, however, in the sense 

 that they have not obtained market value for their raw material 

 raised on the farm marketed through the dairy cow. Yet 

 .many such men have made a living and some have accumulated 

 a bank account. A close examination of the account will not 

 show an amount equal to the interest on the investment and 

 the compensation the farmer and his family should receive for 

 their labor. 



It is therefore essential that the dairymen of the State turn 

 their attention and direct their efforts toward increasing the 

 production of the dairy cow, which can be done by intelligent 

 breeding and weeding and by proper feeding and care. 



Travelling through the State of Maine, one is struck by the 

 lack of uniformity of dairy cattle. This lack of uniformity in 

 the dairy cattle in Maine is due to a lack of purpose in breeding 

 and a failure on the part of the farmer to carefully consider 



