Elmer D. Howe, graduate and trustee of the Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College, and practical dairyman of Marl- 

 borough, Massachusetts, says: — 



Our experiment stations agree that the average cow in milk needs, 

 for economical production, 25 pounds of hay or its equivalent in silage, 

 roots, etc., plus 8 pounds of grain. This will make the food cost per 

 day (with hay at $20 per ton and grain at $30 per ton), 37 cents per 

 cow. 



For 40 cows, food cost per day equals, . . . . . . $14 80 



A building for housing stock and hay will average to cost $100 per 



cow; interest on $4,000 at 5 per cent equals per day, ... 60 

 Depreciation of building at 5 per cent per year equals per day, . 60 

 Depreciation of cows and loss in replacing equals per day (low esti- 

 mate), ........... 75 



Taxes on building and cows (not on land) per day, ... 30 



Milking 40 cows at 20 cents per hour equals per day, . . . 1 60 



Grooming 40 cows equals per day, ...... 40 



Cleaning stables and feeding per day, ...... 60 



Wear and tear of small tools, currycombs, brooms, etc., including 



service of bull, cost of city water, veterinary fees, ice, light, etc., . 15 



$19 80 



Against this we have a credit of $2.50 per day for manure and 30 cents 



per day for calves born during the year (calves at $3 each at birth) , 2 80 



Net cost for 40 cows per day, ...... $17 00 



For more than fifteen years we have weighed every cow's milk both 

 morning and night and our records show that our cows (and we keep 

 none that give less than 5,000 pounds per year) average just about 

 7 quarts per day. Forty cows, then, will average to produce 280 

 quarts of milk per day at an average daily cost of $17, or a trifle over 

 6 cents per quart. 



By substituting 30 pounds of ensilage for 15 pounds of hay in the 

 daily ration of each cow we are able to cut the cost to about 5 cents 

 per quart, but the closest scrutiny will not reveal any other item where 

 a saving can be made. 



That Mr. Howe's figures are not too high is obvious when 

 we consider that he has made no account of waste in han- 

 dling, superintendence or profits beyond interest at 5 per 

 cent. 



Prof. John M. Trueman, formerly of the Connecticut 

 Agricultural College, Storrs, Connecticut, now of the Agri- 

 cultural College, Truro, Nova Scotia, in relation to the produc- 

 tion of milk at the Connecticut Agricultural College says : — 



