NEED OF IMPROVEMENT 4 1 



Relative Fat-Producing Powers of 1200 Cows for One Year 



These tables should be read as follows : In the first table, 10 

 cows, or 1 per cent of the whole, gave less than 2000 pounds 

 of milk; and 1190, or 99 per cent, gave more than 2000 

 pounds, the average of these being 5554 pounds, and so on 

 for other values. 



Some comments on these facts are significant. The average 

 production of these 1200 cows was 5521 pounds of milk, and 

 219 pounds of butter fat. The best one fourth were able to pro- 

 duce an average of 7813 pounds of milk and 312 pounds of 

 butter fat per year, while the poorest one fourth were able to 

 produce on the average only 3435 pounds of milk and 1 37 pounds 

 of fat ; that is to say, waiving all questions of food consumption, 

 the poorest one fourth produced but something over 43 per cent 

 as much milk and fat as did the best one fourth. 



A series of publications from the department shows exhaus- 

 tively the meaning of these facts. Some of these were published 

 before the entire "number of records were in, but the relation 

 between the good and the poor cow was substantially the same. 



Some individuals better than others. One of the most strik- 

 ing facts in the above herd tests is the wonderful difference in 

 efficiency of individual cows, even of the same age and breed. 

 Thus they ranged all the way from less than 2000 pounds of 



