220 



as a means for comparison, and for the correction of frequent exagger- 

 ations of general dairy production* 



AyeragtE yield of milk-herds. — Dr. E. L. Sturtevant of Massa- 

 chusetts, furnishes an account of the milk-product of a herd of cows 

 in Pennsylvania, comprising live Ayrshires, three and one-half years 

 to nine years old ; one Jersey, ten years old ; two Jersey grades, six 

 years and seven years old ; and two Durham grades, four and one- 

 half years and nineteen years old. The account is for the year April 

 1, 1874, to April 1, 1875, and shows 4,148.9 pounds of milk as the average 

 yield per cow, which, at 8.589 pounds of milk per gallon, would be 

 equivalent to 483 gallons. Average number of days in milk, 286.7. 



A statement of the Messrs. Sturtevant on their herd at South Fram- 

 ingham, Mass., exhibits the following i)articulars : In the first year 

 of the record the herd was composed entirely of "natives," but it was 

 afterward, by gradual elimination and substitution, converted into 

 an Ayrshire herd. In the second yenv the herd included one Jersey and 

 four Ayrshires ; in the third year, two Jerseys and four Ayrshires ; in 

 the fourth year, thirteen Ayrshires, the rest being natives. In the sub- 

 sequent years the ccJws were all Ayrshires. In the table w^e convert 

 pounds of milk into gallons, on the above-mentioned basis : 



Eeducing the record of eight years to the basis of one year, we have 

 55G.4 gallons as the average annual yield per cow of GS natives, and 

 639 gallons as the average annual yield of 68 Ayrshires. 



From the records of the Agricultural College of ^ew Jersey we sum- 

 marize the yield of a herd of Ayrshires, short-horns, and natives as 

 follows : For the year November, 1870, to November, 1871, seven Ayr- 

 shires and five natives, average yield, 735.2 gallons. Average of Ayr- 

 shires, 782.6 gallons ; of natives, 669 gallons. For the year November, 

 1871, to November, 1872, six Ayrshires, two short-horns, and seven na- 

 tives, average yield, 742 gallons. Average yield of Ayrshires, 814.5 

 gallons ; of short-horns, 557.7 gallons ; of natives, 732.5 gallons. For 

 the year November, 1872, to November, 1873, five Ayrshires, one short- 

 horn, and six natives, average yield, 674.7 gallons. Average yield of 

 Ayrshires, 663.9 gallons ; of -natives, 652.7 gallons ; yield of one short- 

 horn, 867 gallons. Two of the Ayrshires were very old; one of the 

 shorthorns never recovered from injuries received during importation, 

 and died in 1873. In the first year of the record one of the natives was 

 only six months in milk. The two short-horns were actually connected 

 with the herd in 1870-'71, but are not here reckoned for that year, their 

 yield having been greatly affected by the voyage of the previous year. 



