DAIRY MEETING. I93 



wide variations in statements of those who claim to keep sys- 

 tematic accounts are due to several factors : 



First. Conditions vary. It may be cheaper to keep a cow 

 in Alichigan than in New England, but not enough cheaper to 

 explain the difference between $40 and $186. 



Second. Where a farmer is engaged in general agriculture — 

 for instance selling potatoes, apples, poultry, eggs, and milk, 

 the whole business being considerably mixed with domestic and 

 personal expense — it is difficult to separate from other items 

 and determine the cost of keeping a cow. 



Third. Many producers are paying the higher prices because 

 they put too much expense into feeding their cows. A pro- 

 ducer for the Chicago market in a recent newspaper article 

 showed how many dollars a day he was losing by selling milk 

 to the big wholesalers in Chicago, of whom he was very critical, 

 even abusive, for not paying him a living price. It was cost- 

 ing him $135 per year per cow to keep his herd, but he had 

 no silo and a considerable portion of the feed was hay and corn 

 meal, a poorly balanced and expensive ration. Where ensilage 

 can be secured and where the ration can be balanced by some 

 home-grown leguminous food, such as peas, soy beans, clover 

 and similar crops, the cost will be materially reduced. One of 

 my assistants when visiting a dairyman in New Orleans, who 

 has a herd of 86 cows, proved to him how he could save $2,400 

 per year by substituting alfalfa for some of the more expensive 

 protein feed he was using. 



Fourth. Many persons, even those who keep accounts, do 

 not know what items of expense are properly chargeable to 

 keeping a cow, or how to interpret a balance sheet. It seems 

 to me that the items to be considered in discussing the economics 

 of milk production are labor (including any help of wife and 

 children), feed, housing, including use and depreciation of 

 cow-barn, depreciation of the herd, allowance for sickness and 

 accidents to the herd based on experience of a period of years, 

 incidentals such as wear and tear of utensils, delivery, cost of 

 maintainig bull, taxes, bedding, veterinary bills, etc., and also 

 a reasonable interest on the investment, 6% being none too 

 much when the care and responsibility of the business is con- 

 sidered. Personal and family expenses have nothing to do 

 with the case. The labor account should include a return to 



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