NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V 341 



20 years there- has undoubtedly been five pure bred dairy sires 

 introduced in the section of country tributary to the above named 

 cities to one in Central Iowa. 



It has been demonstrated by the Experimental Station at Ames 

 that daughters of a pure bred dairy sire out of scrub dams average 

 94% more milk and 62% more fat than their dams, and his grand- 

 daughters 245% more milk and 168% more fat than their original 

 dams. This we think conclusive evidence that any section using 

 pure bred dairy sires might naturally expect to produce milk at 

 a much less cost than a section not availing themselves of this ad- 

 vantage. The sooner the people of Iowa and especially those in 

 Soiithern Iowa come to. recognize the fact that the cow is simply a 

 machine for converting our coarse feeds and cereals into edible 

 food, either dairy products or meat and that there is a vast dif- 

 ference in the kind of cows we use, the earlier the question of milk 

 cost will be settled. It is just a question of efficiency. If there 

 were two shoe factories in this city, one with modern machinery 

 957o efficient, the other with old or obsolete machinery 65% efficient, 

 what chance would the latter concern have in competition with the 

 first named? If he remained in business at all, he would have to 

 get more for his shoes than his competitor, and you know about 

 what chance he would have to do this. 



In the early eighties, bran sold in Northern Iowa as low as $4.50 

 per ton, good mixed clover and timothy hay at $4.50 to $5.00 per 

 ton, corn 25c to 30c per bushel, oats as low as 20 to 25c. Corn and 

 oats were generally mixed in equal parts by weight and ground. 

 The above named feeds composed the dairy ration. The barn and 

 farm equipment was much less expensive than at" the present time. 

 Land values were about a fifth of the present ruling prices. Farm 

 labor could be had at $18. to $25. per month and board, day labor 

 from $1.00 to $1.50 per day. Dipped milk sold at 5 to 6c per quart 

 retail. Prices at this time range about as follows : Bran $35.00 per 

 ton, cotton seed meal and gluten feed $60.00 per ton, good mixed 

 hay $25.00, alfalfa $34, corn $1.25, oats 60c per bushel, farm labor 

 $45.00 to $55.00 per month and board, day labor $2.50 to $4.00 per 

 day. Milk prices over th'e state average around 13 or 14c or a trifle 

 over double the former low price. With this information at hand 

 dairy feeds, land, labor and the cow costing about four or five times 

 what they did, is it fair and reasonable to conclude that milk is too 

 high at present prices ? 



The farmer dairyman has never been accused of being a very 

 shrewd business man, but it is my opinion that he is shrewd enough 



