May, 1933] Efficiency Studies in Dairy Farming 



39 



pounds, 4,788 pounds and 5,231 pounds. There is little correlation be- 

 tween milk production and time required per 1,000 pounds of milk. 

 The low time group tended to have better arranged stables and to be 

 quicker in the individual operations. This is stated as a tendency, as 

 there are notable exceptions to each of these factors. The wide range 

 on individual farms is sho^^^l in Figure 8. 



By breaking the time on chores into the separate practices, a more 

 intimate picture can be had of the factors involved in the efficiency 

 of chore work. 



to 



Fig. 8. A comparison of man hours on bam chores per 1,000 pounds of milk on 



38 farms. 



Milking. The time required to milk varied from 36 to 125 hours 

 annually per cow and from 5.8 to 43.8 hours per 1,000 pounds of milk. 

 On the 16 farms where milking was done by hand, an average of 82 

 hours per cow and 19.4 hours per 1,000 pounds of milk were used 

 during the year; where milking was done by machine, the average time 

 was 65 hours per cow and 13.3 per 1,000 pounds of milk. 



Within the machine group, the time on milking ranged from 37 to 

 90 hours per cow and from 5.8 to 29 hours per 1,000 pounds of milk. 

 On some farms the available labor and the use of the machines had 

 been carefully adjusted so that both machines and men were employed 

 to the best advantage. In other cases the men have not adjusted 

 themselves to the use of the machines and little or no time is saved 

 at each milking. In several instances, the benefit from the use of the 

 machines is taken in the fomi of less strenuous labor rather than in time. 



Feeding Grain. Feeding grain is a minor chore generally taking 

 little time, and yet the range of .3 to 14.3 hours annually per cow re- 

 quired for this task is indicative of the general difference in chore 

 efficiency on individual fanns. Those with low labor had the grain 

 handy and used a cart. 



Feeding Roughage. Feeding roughage was also variable in time re- 

 quirements per cow and per 1,000 pounds of milk. The 16 farms feed- 



