EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII. 307 



Iowa two of these cow censuses have been taken of 100 herds each. The 

 first was taken in 1900, the last was taken in 1906. Each farmer may 

 learn his own number if he desires it, but not his neighbor's number. 

 Heretofore all that has been done to get at the real truth of what the 

 farmers were getting from their cows at the creamery has been the 

 poorest kind of guess-work. Creameries are not organized to help the 

 farmer look into the conduct of his end of the business, and besides 

 most of the time he does not care to know. But every creamery ought 

 to be a dairy center from which should radiate all the knowledge and 

 information it is capable of giving back to the patrons. 



Think of what a flood of light would be poured out of the creameries 

 of Iowa upon its patrons if a thorough cow census was taken each year 

 by each creamery and the farmers had a chance to see squarely and truth- 

 fully (1) what their own cows were earning for every dollar spent in 

 feed; (2) what their neighbors' cows were earning. Don't you think it 

 would stir thousands of farmers to change their ideas, their cows and 

 their methods? 



It would be a great thing for the creameries, too, but they do not see 

 it. They will twist and wring to get an additional patron, but they will 

 not do a thing in a practical way to greatly increase the amount of milk 

 that will come from their present patronage. That is something so close 

 to their feet that they do not want to see it. Meanwhile the patrons are 

 getting only about a tenth they might get at the same expenditure for 

 feed and the creamery is complaining of small profits. 



Let me read you some of the deductions from the last Iowa cow census. 



IOWA COW CENSUS FOR 1906. 

 Summary of 100 Herds. 



Territory: Three counties in Northeast Iowa, including patrons of 

 eight creameries, average price of butter fat 22.7 cents per pound. Of 

 these 100 herds 83, numbering 890 cows, are of the dual purpose type, 

 633 of these are earning a profit above their feed. Twenty-five of these 

 herds, numbering 257 cows, over 33 per cent, are not paying for their 

 feed. Seventeen herds, numbering 172 cows, are of the dairy type; of 

 these 16 herds, numbering 163 cows, are earning a profit above the cost 

 of their feed. But one herd, consisting of 9 cows, of this group, failed 

 to pay a profit. 



The average cost of keeping the dairy bred cows was $28.33 per cow. 

 The cost of keeping the dual purpose cows was $27.23. The production 

 of the dairy bred cows over the dual purpose was 68.1 pounds of butter 

 fat, or $13.91. But four herds fed ensilage. They made $16.37 per head 

 more net profit. The 172 dairy bred cows, 9 of which did not pay for 

 their feed, produced $19.58 more net profit than the 890 dual purpose cows. 

 That is a fact worth considering, when just the difference in breeding 

 will make 172 cows earn $19.58 more net profit than 890 dual purpose 

 cows. 



Now we come to the effect of reading dairy papers in its influence 

 on a dairy farmer's profits. Fifty of these farmers read such papers. 



