224 FARM MANAGEMENT 



most profitable animal because labor and barn costs are 

 not counted. The butter produced for a given amount 

 of barn room and labor is nearly as important as the 

 amount of butter produced for a given amount of feed. 

 It is the animals that use large amounts of feed and use 

 that feed efficiently that are most profitable. 



It takes very little more barn room and usually no 

 more labor to care for a 1300-pound cow than it does for a 

 900-pound cow. Twenty cows, each weighing 1200 

 pounds, weigh as much and, if equally efficient, will give as 

 much milk as 24 cows averaging 1000 pounds. By the 

 usual method of figuring, the 24 cows would be as profitable 

 as the 20. But the fixed charges, aside from feed, were 

 found to be $65 in Connecticut and $29 in Minnesota. 

 Most of these other costs are nearly as great for small as 

 for large cows. The labor, barn room, light, medicines, 

 veterinary, and some other expenses are practically the 

 same for small as for large cows. In Connecticut, these 

 items were found to cost about $39 per year and in Minne- 

 sota about $23 per year. 1 The 20 large cows would appear 

 to be about $156 a year more profitable in Connecticut 

 and $92 more profitable in Minnesota. 



The larger animals of any breed are much more eco- 

 nomical of labor and barn room, and usually give as much 

 or more milk for the food eaten. Table 33 shows the re- 

 lation of size of cow to other factors for 355 cows in Wis- 

 consin. 2 The larger cows used their feed with the same effi- 

 ciency as the smaller ones. In fact, the very largest ones 

 were a trifle more efficient than the small ones. The 



1 Connecticut, Bulletin 73, and Minnesota, Bulletin 124. 



2 The weights were determined by a system of measurements (Wis- 

 consin, Bulletin 226, p. 8). The uniformity of the results makes it appear 

 that actual weights would give the same results. 



