MILCH COWS. 157 



June 1, 1871, were 1,122,636 pounds of butter, 30,495 pounds of 

 cheese, and 147,342 gallons of milk. The butter at 30 cents per 

 pound, would amount to $336,790.80 ; the cheese, at 12 cents per 

 pound, $3,659.40 ; and the milk, at 12 cents per gallon, $17,681.04. 

 Making the total amount $358,131.24, besides the milk used by 

 the owners of the cows. 



G. A. Willard of Springvale, Sanford, Maine, has a Jersey cow 

 seven years old, from which he made 296 pounds of butter the 

 past year, reserving during the time 178 quarts of milk. The 

 butter, at 30 cents per pound, amounted to $88.80, and milk at 

 four cents per quart $7.12, or a total of $95 92, 



Professor Willard estimates the annual yield of milk per head 

 at 450 gallons, and valued at ten cents per gallon. At these 

 figures, the milch cows of this country, in 1873, produced 

 2,567,365,000 gallons of milk, worth $481,738,500 ; and at the 

 same ratio it would be safe at this date, 1876, to estimate it at 

 $500,000,000. 



The time is not far distant when, with the practice and 

 improvements our farmers are now making, we may expect our 

 butter export to be increased 200,000,000 pounds, and thereby 

 add to the annual income of the country $60,000,000. 



Discussion of the Above Subject. 



Prof. M. C. Fernald. The paper has brought to my mind a 

 thought which has been expressed before, and that is that the 

 farmer neglects a vital point in failing to consider what is to be 

 his margin of profit. A certain amount must be expended to keep 

 a cow, and a certain quantity of milk will pay for that keeping, 

 and the farmer's profit must come in the produce beyond that 

 point. From the statements made in the paper, as nearly as I can 

 average in my mind the cases presented, the average yield would 

 be about eight quarts of milk and the average cost of keeping he 

 brings at about six quarts. That is a margin of profit of two 

 quarts per day. Now, suppose the flow of milk could be increased 

 by judicious care of the cow till she will give two quarts more — 

 then the profit is doubled. A little while ago I made some in- 

 quiries in regard to a cotton mill which had just been started, and 

 was told that the manufacture was 2000 yards per day, and that 

 recently there had been an advance of one-half cent per yard. 

 Now that is a small advance, but it means an increased profit of 



