EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 283 



It will be observed that No. 16 dried up after averaging less than 

 eight pounds of milk per day for 154 daj-s. or only about half an ordi- 

 nary milking period and making about one-fifth as much butter as the 

 next poorest cow. A dairyman would undoubtedly have eliminated her 

 from the herd before the close of the season. There are, however, sev- 

 eral reasons, from an experimental standpoint, why she should be re- 

 tained in the herd. Notwithstanding this handicap the herd averaged 

 6258.9 pounds of milk per cow, with an average test of 4.08% of butter 

 fat, equivalent to 298.25 pounds of butter. If the record of No. 16 were 

 to be eliminated there would be an average of 6525 pounds of milk and 

 811.4 pounds of butter for each of the remaining nineteen cows. 



VALUE OP THE PRODUCTS^ COST OF PRODUCTION^ AND PROFIT. 



Besides keeping records of the amount of milk given by each cow, 

 daily records were made of the amount of feed consumed by each, so 

 that the entire cost of food for each animal for the year is known. 

 While it would be possible to give the other items of expense entailed by 

 the herd, as cost of care, et cetera; these are purposely omitted as is 

 also the value of calves and manure. In dairy operations these two 

 groups of items are commonly considered as balancing each other. This 

 they have approximately done in the present case. But as the major 

 item of expense in maintaining a dairy cow is her food, and in view of 

 the extremely intimate relation of food and product, we have eliminated 

 all minor matters in order to better contrast these two main features. 



Instead of crediting the herd with the money actually received from 

 the sale of the butter at the College Dairy, although more was really 

 received for it than is credited here, the price of butter is fixed at 20c 

 net per pound for the entire year. By 20c net is meant that this price 

 includes the cost of making. It will be borne in mind that these cows 

 freshened in the late fall and early Avinter, consequently the heaviest 

 flow of milk was in the winter months when milk and butter were worth 

 most. The leading creameries of the State, which receive a proportion- 

 ate amount of winter milk report prices the average of which places 

 the price assigned as a conservative one. 



Skim milk is valued at 20c per cwt, this being the price charged for 

 it in experimental feeding conducted at this institution. 



The value of the products of each individual of the herd, as well as 

 cost of production and profit are shown in Table II which follows. In 

 column 2 will be found the value of butter, in column 3 the value of 

 skim milk, while column 4 gives the total co^t of food for each cow. 

 The return for every dollar's worth of food consumed by the cow is 

 shown in column 5, the food cost for every 100 lbs. of milk produced in 

 column 6, and the food cost for every pound of butter in column 7. 

 Column 8 gives the total value of products of the cow, being the sum 

 of columns 2 and 3, while column 9 shows the profit or loss over food 

 for the entire year. 



In considering cost of food, the entire amount consumed by the ani- 

 mal during the whole year is taken, and not simply the portion eaten 

 while in lactation. 



