COST OF MILK PRODUCTION 



415 



other crops for silage, the amounts of expensive purchased concentrates 

 needed may be reduced to a minimum. A factor often overlooked is 

 having the barn conveniently arranged in order to save time in caring 

 for the herd. Furthermore, if dairy cows are to provide the main source 

 of income on a farm, a sufficient number must be kept to make an eco- 

 nomical unit. If the herd consists of only a few cows, the income will 

 necessarily be small, labor will be employed less efficiently, and if a 

 sire is kept, this cost per cow will be greatly increased. 



II. BREED COMPARISON OP DAIRY Cows 



671. Wisconsin Dairy Cow Competition. The most extensive breed 

 competition which has been conducted in this country is the "Wisconsin 

 Dairy Cow Competition, carried on under the supervision of the Wis- 

 consin Station. 11 Some of the data secured in this contest, in which 

 yearly records were secured for 395 cows, is condensed in the table: 



Results of Wisconsin Dairy Cow Competition 



No. of Yearly Yearly 

 cows yield of yield of 



Breed test 



Holstein 



Guernsey 



Jersey 



All breeds 



Highest producers . . . 



Medium producers . . 



Lowest producers . . . 

 *Butter fat, $0.28 per Ib. 



158 



157 



80 



milk 

 Lbs. 



14,689 

 8,465 

 7,047 



fat 

 Lbs. 



503 

 421 

 363 



Value of 

 products 1 " 



Dols. 



Cost of 

 feed 



Dols. 



134 528.8 



133 420.6 



131 338.9 



skim milk, $0.20 per 100 Ibs. 



164.40 91.07 



131.59 70.95 



113.00 53.88 



166.82 79.10 



133.75 71.08 



108.12 65.95 



Net Value of 



returns products 



over cost per 100 



of feed feed units* 



Dols. Dols. 



73.33 2.08 



60.64 2.05 



59.12 2.05 



87.72 2.33 

 62.67 2.04 

 42.17 1.77 



The results of this competition show plainly the fact, already empha- 

 sized, that high producers yield sufficient product to much more than 

 pay for the larger amount of feed they eat, compared with low-pro- 

 ducing individuals. (541-5) 



672. Exposition breed tests. Tests of pure-bred cows of various breeds 

 for the production of milk and butter fat were conducted at the World 's 

 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893; at the Pan-American 

 Exposition held in Buffalo in 1901 ; and at the Louisiana-Purchase 

 Exposition held in St. Louis in 1904. In each case the test was super- 

 vised by a joint committee composed of delegates representing, on the 

 one hand, the various breed associations interested, and on the other 

 the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Sta- 

 tions. The breed associations selected the cows and had full charge of 

 the cows and their feed and care in all particulars. The representatives 

 of the colleges and stations took charge of all weighings of feed as well 

 as of milk and conducted all analyses of the milk, 



"Wis. Res. Bui. 26; Bui. 226. 



