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BULLETIN OF 

 MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



SUMMER MANAGEMENT OF THE DAIRY HERD. 



By Prof. F. S. Cooley, Professor of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Massachu- 

 setts Agricultural College. 



The severe early summer drought of the present season has 

 served to emphasize the need of a better average among our dairy 

 cows. It is apparent that some improvement has been made over 

 the stock of half a century ago for dairy purposes, but it is doubt- 

 ful if the quality has improved as fast as its need. It must be 

 borne in mmd that the world is moving, and that to stand still is 

 ruin. Competition is strong, and the cost of production is on the 

 increase. If the value of the product does not increase with the 

 cost of production, then dairying ceases to be profitable. 



Probably the average cow in Massachusetts yields about 2,000 

 quarts of milk or 200 pounds of butter, worth from $50 to $60 at 

 present prices. With feeds costing what they have for the past 

 two seasons, this leaves little if any margin of proflt ; and where 

 cows fall below this average as half of them do, there must be very 

 little compensation for the time expended by farmers in their care. 

 Certainly the prevailing high wages offer strong inducements to 

 sell the cows and enter other pursuits for a cash compensation. 



The hope for dairy salvation lies in keeping a better class of 

 cows. Where the average product is now 200 pounds of butter or 

 2,000 quarts of milk, it should be 300 to 400 pounds or 3,000 to 

 4,000 quarts. The feasibility of securing these higher yields has 

 been amply demonstrated by many carefully kept records. Com- 

 pare the value of the annual product of a dairy of 15 cows of aver- 

 age quality, which would amount to from $750 to $900, with the 

 possible $1,400 to $1,800 from the same number of a better grade. 

 Does any one believe that, after paying for the extra feed and 

 care, there would not be left a handsome margin of profit from 

 keeping the latter class? 



