218 



the State of New York, for the season of 1874, show the following par- 

 ticulars : Aggregate of average number of cows for the season, em- 

 ployed by these factories, 36,429 ; milk received, 118,093,222 pounds f 

 average per cow 3,241.73 pounds, or 377.42 gallons ; lowest average 

 number of cows for the season employed by a single factory, 55 ; high- 

 est, 800. General average 311 ; average length of factory season, aver- 

 aged on the number of factories without regard to size, 6.24 months; 

 regarding the average number of cows in each, 6.44 months. Of the one 

 hundred and seventeen factories five are exhibited as devoted wholly 

 or in large part to butter; one hundred and twelve show an average of 

 331 pounds of cheese per cow ; average amount of milk required for 

 one pound of cured cheese, 9.82 pounds. These one hundred and 

 twelve factories also report 36,141 pounds of butter, averaging 1.03 

 pounds per cow. Four factories, averaging a season of 9.58 months, ex- 

 hibit 1,388 cows as the average number for the season, and 4,356.8 

 pounds, equivalent to 507.25 gallons, of milk per cow ; each cow aver- 

 aged 451.9 pounds of cheese and 8 pounds of butter. These averages 

 of milk and cheese must be somewhat above the true average per cow 

 for the season, since the number of cows contributing to the factory is 

 always largest during the largest flow of milk. The factories rarely 

 open with their full quota, and in the fall a part of the cows are with- 

 drawn for butter-making on the farm. 



So far we have considered only the average number of cows employed 

 by the factory for the season, but ninety-nine of these factories report for 

 1874 both the average for the season and the greatest number contrib- 

 uting at any time. They exhibit an average for the season of 31,405' 

 cows, but a " greatest number " of 36,084, being 14.89 per cent, in ex- 

 cess of the average number. In the tables of the New York State cen- 

 sus of 1865, one hundred and twenty-seven factories, reporting for the 

 season of 1864, show 16.62 per cent, excess of " greatest number of 

 cows" over "average number," and one hundred and thirty-three 

 factories show an average of 307 cows per factory. 



The tables presented in the reports of the American Dairymen's As- 

 sociation are quite imperfect as regards the average number of cows per 

 factory for the season. It appears that the "greatest number"' is often 

 put in place of the average, and vice versa. The particulars in the fol- 

 lowing table have been collected from detailed statements appearing in 

 these reports : 



■ Many factories did not report the length of season. 



For 1864 we here give only those returns that are not presented in the 

 State census exhibit of one hundred and thirty-three factories in 1864. 



