EXFEKIMENT STATION BULLETINS 



197 



A reJiular herdsman was employed by the mouth, who fed and cared for the whole 

 herd and milked part of the cows; students were employed to milk the remainder 

 at a stated price of five cents per day per cow. The herdsman began October 1, 

 1S9T, and left us April 1, ISDS. Ilis wages were $31.00 per month. He kept an ac- 

 count of the time devoted to the herd, which varied from month to month, but 

 averaged, during the fall and early winter, two-thirds of his time. Later it required 

 his full time. After April 1, another herdsman was employed at a salary of $26.00 

 per month, devoting his whole time to the care of the herd. 



A careful account has been kept with the herd, charging it with the cost of the 

 cows, the traveling expenses incidental to their purchase, the freight to Lansing, the 

 wages of the herdsman, the cost of milking, the feed and pasture, and the cost of 

 making the butter. In the accounts given below the quantity of material as well 

 as the price at the College is given, that the reader may estimate what the cost 

 of keeping the cows a year would have been in his immediate locality. The earliest 

 date at which the annual accounts with the herd could begin was October 1, 1897^ 

 hence the account given below is divided on that date, charging the herd with the 

 net cost of the twenty-one cows purchased before that time, taking into considera- 

 tion, as far as they are concerned, their cost delivered at the College and their feed 

 between the time of their arrival and October 1, on the one hand, and the receipts 

 from them on the other. 



During the fall and the first few days of December the milk was creamed and: 

 churned and the pi'oducts sold separate from the milk yielded by the herd of pure 

 breds. After the first week of December, and until the first of May. the milk was 

 used in common with other milk, either yielded by the pure bred herd or purchased, 

 for instruction, in cheese and butter making, to the regular and special students. 

 The herd was credited with the milk at the price paid the farmers. During the fall 

 the skim milk was fed calves and pigs. A record was kept of the amount of grain 

 purchased for this auxiliary stock, and when these calves and pigs were sold the 

 herd was credited with the receipts. Since, during the winter, the milk was sold 

 outright this method could not be continued. "After May 1, the product was 

 sold through two channels. A good share of the cream was sold at sixty cents per 

 gallon to ice cream manufacturers. The remainder of the cream was churned into 

 butter and sold at varying prices. A part of the skim milk during the summer of 

 1898 was fed to calves belonging to this herd. There was, however, a large surplus, 

 amounting to 48,4(J() pounds, which Avas fed to other stock. It cannot be unjust to 

 credit this amount of skim milk at fifteen cents per hundred, making $65.20. The 

 amount of butter made during the summer was 1,335.36 pounds, for the making of 

 which at three cents per pound the herd should be charged $40.06. The butter sold 

 at twenty cents per pound in May, sixteen cents in June, twenty-one cents in August 

 and in September at twenty-two cents. 



With the explanations given, the following set of accounts will indicate the 

 various transactions with the Grade Dairy Herd, for the year beginning October 

 1, 1897: 



Date. 



Dr. 



GRADE DAIRY HERD. 

 Date. 



Aug. 25 To 9 cows and calf, Delhi Mills.... $353 00 



freight on same. --- 21 27 



traveling expenses - 9 82 



3 cows bought at Lansing 120 00 



27 

 31 



lOc- 



care of cows 23 hours, 



156 lbs. bran, $12 00. 



156 lbs. rye, $8.00 



dVs weeks' pasture, 25e 



Sept. 4 To 2 cows, bought at Lansing, 

 expenses tuberculin test. 



[ 



105 00 



2 30 



94 



62 



2 28 



82 00 



6 67 



cow bought at Lansing 45 00 



40 00 



55 00 



14 57 



37 



1 23 



2 93 

 1 96 



69.8 weeks' pasture, 25c 17 45 



$882 41 



milking, 5c per cow per day. 



74.5 lbs. hay, at $10.00. 



617 lbs. skim milk, at 20c 



489 lbs. bran, at $12.00 



489 lbs. rye, at $8.00. 



Cr. 



Aug. 31 By 730.2 lbs. milk at 90c. 

 Sept. 30 By 6,825, lbs. milk at 90c. 



$6 57 



61 4a 



balance . 



814 41 



$882 41 



