DAIRYING. 33 



19,598 pounds of feed. She produced 8,121 pounds of milk, which 

 according to its test was equal to 364 pounds of butter. There was 

 a difference in the records of the two cows for the year of 598 

 pounds of feed and 3,207 pounds of milk and 294 pounds of butter; 

 expressed in percentage, the difference between the two cows was 

 2.9 per cent, in feed, 28 per cent, in milk and 45 per cent, in butter. 



92. Calculating the pounds of butter produced by each cow 

 at 16 cents per pound gives the total pounds of butter produced by 

 cow No. 1 as worth $105 and of cow No. 2 as worth $58, there being 

 a difference of $47. In this case one cow produced $47 worth more 

 of butter than the other and the difference in feed consumption was 

 about 600 pounds. This illustrates the influence of the cow's indi- 

 viduality or dairy temperament on the economy of milk and butter 

 production, showing that not all cows produce the same amount of 

 milk on the same quantity of feed. In a previous statement we 

 have estimated the average cost of the feed per cow per year as $35. 



93. Fourth, the cost of caring for a cow. There is a great 

 difference in the expense of the labor necessary to feed, care for 

 and milk the cows. This work is done in some places entirely by 

 hired help. In others the members of a farmer's family are doing 

 some kind of farm work each day and while their labor is just as 

 valuable and should be charged up to the expense of keeping a cow 

 in the same manner as the labor of hired help this is not the case, 

 and the cost of milking and caring for the cows in some localities 

 is not placed at a very large figure. It has been variously esti- 

 mated that one man can milk, feed and care for 15 to 25 cows. 

 Assuming 20 cows to be an average number, and the wages of a 

 man is $40 per month, then the cost of the labor per cow per year 

 is $24. The time required for milking a cow on an average during 

 the year has been estimated at the Missouri Experiment Station as 

 60 hours. The value of this time per hour can be variously placed 

 at 15 cents, the total cost of labor for milking a cow on this basis 

 is therefore $9. From, the statements given, it seems fair to assume 

 that the expense of caring for a cow per year may be safely placed 

 at $15. 



94. Fifth, miscellaneous expenses. There are certain tools and 

 implements needed in caring for cows. The expense of these, while 

 not very great, amounts to something, and it should be included 



