37^ AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



dairy. The records of progressive and unprogressive dairymen indi- 

 cate that there is no business which shows a greater range of profit 

 than that of dairy farming. Investigations of creamery patrons illus- 

 trate this most strikingly and show that one dairyman frequently 

 makes double the profits of his neighbors. In an investigation of the 

 records of 100 creamery patrons, conducted by Hoard's Dairyman, it 

 was shown that one of them made $2 . 30 for every dollar invested in 

 feed for his cows, while a neighbor made $1.00 and another but 

 50 cents. All had the same soil and the same market. Thirty-eight 

 out of the hundred kept cows at an actual loss. 



This bulletin aims to show dairymen the importance of keeping 

 records complete enough to give the dairy performance of every cow 

 in the herd, thereby making it possible to weed out the unprofitable 

 animals. With the application of the scales and the Babcock test 

 this can be done, and both production and profits greatly increased. 

 A record is also of great help to the feeder. If he knows exactly what 

 a cow is doing he can prepare the ration accordingly, and often feed 

 more economically. Records at the Michigan Experiment Station 

 showed that the profit on the milk from different cows varied from 

 $6.08 to $94. 05. 



Experience has shown that, while farmers know in a general way 

 which are the good milkers in their herds, they are likely to be seriously 

 mistaken in many cases unless actual records are kept. For example, 

 a well-known dairyman and his two sons prepared a list of what they 

 considered their best half-dozen cows. He had handled every one of 

 these cows from its birth and he and his sons did the milking. After 

 keeping actual records for a year, he found the cow they had put first 

 on their list stood fourth and the one they had put in fifth place stood 

 first. In second place came a cow he had not had on his merit list at 

 all; the third was his fourth; the fourth, his first; fifth, his sixth; 

 and sixth another not on his merit list. His second and third were 

 still lower down the list as actual performers. 



Accurate and continuous records are necessary for best results. 

 While daily records are best, various investigators have recommended 

 methods of estimating the yearly production from a few weighings 

 and tests, a number of which methods have proved practical and 

 reasonably accurate. For example: The Wisconsin Experiment 

 Station recommends weighing and sampling the milk one day each 

 week during the year; and the Illinois station suggests weighing and 



