FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IV. 



297 



feeds make the same returns, and, if not, will the yield be in the ratio of the 

 feed consumed. In other words, is there much difiference in the actual 

 profit derived from different individual cows lin ,the same herd? To deter" 

 mine the difference with accuracy requires careful daily records of all feed 

 consumed and product yielded by the cows. While it is not practical to 

 keep such accurate records on dairy farms, let us look for a moment at the 

 results obtained from the careful investigation along ^this line made by the 

 Illinois Experiment Station in the past six years. 



DIFFERENCE IN EFFICIENCY OF COWS. 



Rose. 

 304.. 



RATIO ON LIKE FEED BASIS. 



.No. 1. 

 .312. 



Queen. No. 3. 



100 ..121. 



From these yearly records it has been found that reduced to exactly the 

 same feed basis when the poorest cow produced 100 pounds of butter fat 

 the best cow produced 312 pounds and the next best 304 pounds, with no 

 body gain. 



CHART AND SCALES, 



Many dairymen are keeping one-half of their herds at an actual loss. 

 They are perhaps making a little profit on the whole herd and are thus ap- 

 parently satisfied, whereas, if they would dispose of their unprofitable cows 

 they would make more money and also save labor. If in a town having 

 two grain elevators, one paid one-half cent a bushel more for grain than the 

 other, no farmer would be foolish enough to sell his grain at the one paying 

 the lower price. Yet dairymen will persist in keeping cows year after year 

 that are paying them only twenty-five cents a bushel for grain, while others 



