May, 1933] Efficiency Studies in Dairy Farming 41 



cumbersome and time-consuming methods in other practices. As an 

 example one operator used a feed cart for grain yet used individual 

 baskets for feeding ensilage. By using a cart for ensilage, he could 

 have done the task in one-half the time and one-tenth the travel. In 

 a few instances, the time consuming method was due to barn arrange- 

 ment, but generally the dair>^man was not conscious of the fact that 

 he was making hard work of the operation. Since most barns were 

 built over 80 years ago, the average dairyman has found it necessary 

 to adjust himself as well as possible to the bam he happens to have. 



On several farms chores were studied in considerable detail to get an 

 intimate picture of how operators were able to accomplish so much. 

 A record was taken on one farm with 60 cows and about 40 head of 

 young stock. Fifty-five cows were being milked. Two men did all 

 the chores, and since the product was sold as Grade A milk, the stable 

 and the cows were well-cared for. The men began at 4.30 a. m., took 

 30 minutes out for breakfast and completed the chores at 10 a. m. 

 This included hauling the 24 hours' accumulation of manure and 

 spreading it on the fields. Beginning again at 3 p. m., the evening 

 chores were complete at 6 o'clock. Approximately 16 man hours were 

 required to do the chores, or about 16 minutes per day per cow. 



In milking 55 cows, a total of six man hours were used in the two 

 milkings. This is 6.7 minutes per cow or 36.6 minutes per 100 pounds 

 of milk. Three single units were used, and the operator was especially 

 dexterous in putting milkers on and off. The milkers were on the cows 

 an average of 4.5 minutes per cow per milking, and very little milk 

 was obtained from hand stripping. From first to last, the milkers were 

 actually in operation on the cows about 90 per cent of the time. Two 

 extra milker pails with light tin covers were conveniently located so 

 that when one pail was full, the top of the full pail and the tin cover 

 of the extra one could be quickly exchanged and the milker immed- 

 iately put into operation on the next cow. 



The operator planned his work so that two pails would be filled at 

 about the same time, and thus he could carry both pails to the milk 

 room in one trip. The milk room was inconveniently located on a 

 floor above and to one end of the barn. One man operated the milk- 

 ing machines, cleaned the udders of the cows, and carried milk to the 

 milk room while the other man did the hand stripping. In taking 

 care of the milkers the operator usually massaged the udders and 

 pulled down on the teat cups a short time before taking them off. He 

 attributed the quickness in milking to the fact that he kept the ma- 

 chines in good repair and the teat cup rubbers tight. 



On another farm where the milking was done quickly, one man op- 

 erated the two double units and washed the udders while the other 

 man did the hand-stripping and carried the milk to the nearby con- 

 venient milk room. In this case also extra milker pails were used in 

 order to keep the milking machines in operation a larger proportion of 

 the time. The machines were left on the cows an average of 6.6 min- 

 utes per cow per milking or 2.1 minutes longer than in the case of the 

 other farmer. The milkers were in operation on cows 86 per cent of 

 the time, but were changed from one cow to another more slowly than 

 on the other farm. 



