Dairy Herd Records. 3 gi 



The facts collected are given in the tables following. The 

 first table relates to herds concerning which data were collected 

 for the year. 



In the second column is given the average number of cows 

 milked each month. This number is probably somewhat less 

 than the actual number of cows in the herd, as no account has 

 been taken of the number of dry cows, of which there are nearly 

 always some in a herd. On account of the habit Arizona ranch- 

 men have of buying, selling and renting cows, seldom keeping 

 the same herd for a year, it was considered that in most cases the 

 average number reported as in milk each month would most 

 nearly represent the number of the herd for the year. 



The third column shows the average number of pounds of 

 milk per cow for the year. The figures are obtained by dividing 

 the total number of pounds of milk delivered at the factory by the 

 number of cows given in the second column. 



The last column gives the gross return per cow. This is ob- 

 tained by dividing the total cash returns by the number of cows 

 in milk, or by multiplying the number of pounds of butter fat by 

 20 cents. The price paid for butter fat at the different creameries 

 for the year varied a fraction of a cent, but we have assumed 

 that the same price, 20 cents per pound, was paid in all cases, 

 thus having a single basis for the comparison of all herds. 



We have estimated the cost of keeping a cow a year to be 

 thirty-two dollars, twelve dollars for care and milking and twenty 

 dollars for feed. The latter figure would be high in ordinary 

 years, but during the unusually dry year in which this record was 

 made prices of feed were high enough, we think, to warrant this 

 estimate. 



In the table the figures relating to herds failing to give a 

 gross return of thirty-two dollars per cow are printed in black 

 faced type. 



