38 N. H. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 275 



When chore hours on the separate farms were arrayed on the basis 

 of man hours per cow, the chore time requirement ranged from 78 to 

 241 hours. As shown in Figiu'e 7, six fanns used less than 100 hours 

 per cow; 21 farms, the largest group, between 100 and 140 hours; and 

 one farm more than 200 hours. 



In the case of the six farms which spent less than 100 hours per 

 cow on chores, all had fairly convenient barns equipped with drinking 

 cups. On three farms the cows were stabled above the basement and 

 cleaning the stable took very little time. Two operators gave their 

 cows only meagre care. In the group of 11 farms spending more than 

 140 hours per cow, seven were handicapped by inconvenient barns, 

 and one man with high-producing stock cared for them intensively. 

 On 12 of the 38 fanns either the operator or hired help were not 

 naturally quick in doing chores. 



« 10 



o 



CO 



S 



Z 



60 80 100 no 140 IfoO 180 ZOO ZZO Z40 260 



Hours 



Fig. 7. A comparison of man hours on bam chores per cow on 38 farms. 



Obviously unless the time saved through better methods is actually 

 put to work on productive enterprises, the results may accrue in the 

 fonn of more leisure rather than greater total output or greater finan- 

 cial returns. On some farms more leisure is of greater importance. 

 For instance on one farm where the time between the beginning of 

 chores in the morning and finishing at night was approximately 15 

 hours, it is estimated that at least one and one-half hours could be 

 saved daily by better organization and by partial rearrangement of 

 the barn. The time saved could better be used in the form of a 

 shorter working day and more leisure. In another instance the short- 

 ening of chore time would enable the operator to get along with less 

 hired labor. 



To account for the wide differences in the time required per 1,000 

 pounds of milk to do the bam chores, a detailed description of the 

 many factors on each farm would be essential. No one faiin appears 

 to be either high or low in all the practices or operations that make 

 up the total chore time. If all tiie farms were arrayed according to 

 the chore time required per 1,000 pounds of milk and then divided 

 into three groups of 13, 13 and 12 fanns, respectively, in the low, 

 medium and high groups, the milk production per cow would be 4,905 



