DUAL PURPOSE CATTLE 77 



tendency for the milk to become either richer or poorer as the cow 

 grows older. 



7. From one calving to the next/ cows may be expected to vary 

 the general quality of their milk not much more than a sixth of one 

 per cent of fat, and scarcely ever will show a variation of more than 

 a quarter of one per cent. 



8. The milk of a heifer tends to agree very closely in the quality 

 to that of her dam. The average variation is a third of one per cent 

 of fat. 



9. The present cheap, rapid and easy methods of testing cows 

 leave no excuse for any dairyman not knowing the quality of the milk 

 of each one of his cows. If two tests are made, each of a mixed sample 

 of four days milk, one being taken six weeks after the cow calves, 

 and the other six months after calving, the average of these two 

 tests will agree almost exactly with the average quality of the milk 

 given during the entire milking period. There will seldom be a dif- 

 ference of as much as a quarter of one per cent of fat. 



10. If it is desired to know from tests nearer together what 

 quality of milk a cow gives, very accurate results will be obtained 

 by making two tests 15 days apart, four months after the cow calves, 

 each test being on a sample of four days' milk. The average of 

 these two tests with one-eighth of one per cent of fat added is sur- 

 prisingly near the truth for the average quality of the year's milk. 



11. In the long run just about the same results are obtained 

 whether cows are tested once a month or twice a month. 



12. Cows that have been properly fed at the barn do not shrink 

 in quality of milk when turned to pasture. They usually increase 

 both in quality and quantity. 



13. Full feeding with grain at the barn and while the cows are 

 on pasture produces a much larger flow of milk during April and 

 May, and causes the flow to keep up considerably later in the fall. 



AN AUSTRALIAN ANALYSIS 



Some five years ago the Victoria (Australia) Journal reported 

 from the Victorian Dairy Supervisor details of the testing and re- 

 cording of a herd of 141 cows. Among these were several pedigree 

 Ayrshire and Shorthorn cattle "typical dairy stock," which came 

 through the test of profitable milk production. The total quantity 

 of milk delivered at the factory during the year was 769,000 Ib. The 

 supervisor said the average, 5,390 Ib., was "a very fair return." The 

 butter fat was a fraction over 4 per cent, save 3.3 in the month of 

 June. The cost of grazing and handling a milking herd, allowing 

 for the cost of labor, was set down at not less than 5 pounds, 10s. 

 per cow a year. Allowing lOd. per Ib. for butter fat and Is. per 

 gallon for skim milk, a cow yielding 3,000 Ib. gave a profit of 12 s. 

 6d.; 3,500 Ib., 1 pound 12s. lid.; 4,000 Ib., 2 pounds 13s. 4d.; 4,500 

 Ib., 3 pounds 12s. 9d.; 5,000 Ib., 4 pounds 14s. 2d. Thus much for 

 54 cows. The remaining 87 cows averaged 6,090 Ib., and their aver- 

 age profit, 6 pounds 18s. 9d., was made up as follows: 21 each gave 

 5,500 Ib., 29, 6,000 Ib.; 11, 6,500 Ib.; 6, 7,000 Ib.; 7, 7,500 Ib.; 2, 8,000 

 Ib.; 1, 9,000 Ib. "The performances of the good cows overshadow 

 those of lower capacity, but the inferior cows eat perhaps as much 

 and require the same attention and labor as those which yield ten. 

 times the income." 



