State Dairy Association. 393 



and 25 cows of this better sort return as much profit as 1,021 cows 

 that turn to the left. 



As seen above, the poor cows naturally find their way to a 

 poor barn, a poor home, a poorly kept farm and a poor dairyman — 

 and in the end, the dairyman will do well, after slaving hard for 

 years, if he does not find his way "over the hills to the poor house.'' 

 If all these things are not met with on that cow path, it will be no 

 fault of the great bovine procession traveling that way. 



Not only individual cows but large portions of herds, and even 

 whole herds, take the wrong path at the parting of the ways. Of 

 these 36 herds, all the cows of the poorest three herds averaged a 

 profit of but $1.74 per cow per year. The average cow of the best 

 herd is worth more than 24 cows of the kind that forms the poorest 

 three herds. The writer knows three other dairy herds, the milk 

 returns of which show a profit of but 62 cents per cow for the 

 year. While in the same neighborhood are three herds, the milk 

 of which averaged a profit of $60.94 per cow. One cow of this kind 

 equals 96 cows of the other three herds. And in another locality 

 the same kind of a contrast came to the writer's attention. 



A little pondering of these divergent cow paths may help the 

 dairyman to make a good turn for himself — turn on the light of 

 the scales and test — turn off the poor cows to the butcher — and 

 turn all his attention to the high-producing cows that make a 

 specialty of turning feed into milk and money. It all depends on 

 which path the cows take — and which cows the dairyman takes. 



SPECIFICATIONS AND SPECULATIONS. 



Twenty-five cows of the better kind would return the dairyman 

 a clear profit of $783 per year. They could be kept on an 80-acre 

 farm; they would require only a barn 32x45 feet and a 100-ton 

 silo, and the cows themselves at $70 per head would cost only $1,- 

 750 — a very good little business. 



But the dairyman could make just as much money (and no 

 more) from the 1,021 cows of the other kind. However, the invest- 

 ment would be somewhat different and here are some of the de- 

 tails for the benefit of anyone who might prefer to handle the 1,- 

 021 cows to make $783, as in effect, many of the Illinois dairymen 

 are now doing with at least a portion of the herd. 



To stock up for full business the first year, Mr. Dairyman puts 

 $40,000 to $50,000 in his pocket and goes to market. It will re- 

 quire only two trains of thirty cars each to bring home the 1,021 



