300 Bulletin 39. 



A COMPARISON OF THE YIELDS OF DAIRY HERDS. 



During the year ending with the month of October, 1900, the 

 writer kept as nearly as possible a record of the number of cows 

 milked by each creamery patron of Salt River valley, the amount 

 of milk and butter fat produced by each herd and the cash re- 

 ceived for the same. The number of cows was ascertained by the 

 milk weighers at the creameries and the other figures were fur- 

 nished by the creamery managers. In spite of an earnest effort to 

 have this record complete, the desired information was secured 

 only concerning the herds of less than half the creamery patrons 

 of the valley. In some cases there was a suspicion on the part of 

 the ranchman that some one wanted to know too much about his 

 private business and information was withheld. Many sent milk 

 to the creamery only a part of the year. The data obtained, how- 

 ever, seemed to be sufficient to demonstrate the point that the 

 writer wishes to emphasize, that there are too many unprofitable 

 cows in the dairy herds of our Territory. 



With too many of our ranchmen a steer is a steer and a cow 

 is a cow regardless of the individual animal. This indifference 

 exists to such an extent that in some cases entire herds fail to 

 pay the cost of their keeping. 



In some localities the difference in profit returned by differ- 

 ent herd? might be attributed in a large degree to the different 

 methods of handling and feeding. To a certain extent this may be 

 true in Arizona, but in a far less degree perhaps than in any 

 other state or territory. In Arizona the almost universal practice 

 is to feed cows alfalfa hay or pasture, or a combination of the two, 

 without shelter. If there is a difference in feed it is in amount. 

 So we consider it fairly safe to attribute differences in profit to 

 differences in quality of the cows. 



The year during which this record was kept was a particu- 

 larly hard one on account of the very severe drouth, and the re- 

 turns from the dairy herds of the Territory are probably some- 

 what below the average on that account. The difference between 

 different herds is, we think, in but few cases to be accounted for 

 by the difference in feed. 



