424 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE DATA. 



A. Summarized Data. 



To the end that the data may be presented in as plain and simple a 

 manner as possible, four brief, partial summaries will be given first. 

 These will be followed by other tables which show in much greater detail 

 the facts and figures from which the partial summaries are obtained. 



Table I which follows, shows the average daily labor requirement per 

 cow when all of the cows on all of the twenty-five farms are considered. 

 The number of cows kept on the different farms varied somewhat from 

 month to month, consequently the average number of cows on all of the 

 farms is used. 



Accurate records were kept at each farm of the several barn operations 

 which are necessary in the care of dairy stock. For convenience the 

 time of each operation is expressed in minutes per day. 



TABLE I.— AVERAGE TIME REQUIREMENT PER DAY FOR THE CARE OF ONE COW. 



Operation. 



1914. 



459.46 cows. 



Minutes. 



1915. 



428 . 57 cows. 



Minutes. 



Approximate 

 per cent 

 of each. 



Milking 



Feeding 



Cleaning cows 



Cleaning barns and other care of cattle 



Care of milic and dairy utensils 



Incidental labor 



Business management 



Total 



16.33 



3.85 



.35 



4.92 



2.71 



.42 



.15 



28.73 



16.14 



3.39 



.38 



4.95 



2.88 



.67 



.15 



28.56 



57% 

 12% 

 M% 

 17% 

 10% 

 2% 

 1% 



100% 



The reader will keep in mind the fact that these tables simply report 

 the time actually spent. Some of the farms produced a very high grade 

 of milk, while the product from others could not be rated above medium. 

 Upon some farms more time could have been spent in some of the opera- 

 tions. From data which the writers have collected in other herds it is 

 shown that one minute per day is required to clean a dairy cow in a sat- 

 isfactory manner. 



One may conclude from the above Table that the care of a dairy herd 

 will consume approximately one-half hour of a man's time each day for 

 every member of the herd. 



Table II reports the average yearly food supplied to the average cow 

 during the two years 1914 and 1915, together with the actual value for 

 the same. 



