

389 



before coming to the farm. It will be noticed that the cows 

 increased rapidly and steadily up to the fourth lactation period, 

 at the station when they produced 59% more milk and 54% 

 more fat than during the first period. This is a much greater 

 increase over the four-year-old performance than was ever se- 

 cured from animals raised on the college farm and is five times 

 as great as the breed associations' handicap (by which the four- 

 year old is required to produce 90% as much as required of a 

 mature cow five years old or over). The decrease for the fol- 

 lowing periods is not regular, due to the fact that cow no. 31 

 produced much more during the seventh than during the sixth 

 period, but the decline is what one would expect from advancing 

 age. 



In the net returns column it will be noticed that the greatest 

 returns were secured in the fourth period after coming to the 

 farm when the average for the two cows was $37.48 as against 

 $13.93 the first year and $1.97 the sixth. 



The average cost per pound of butter fat decreased from 

 26 cents the first year to 18 to 21 cents except during the sixth 

 year when one of the cows made a very poor record. The de- 

 crease of practically 30% in cost per pound of butter fat from 

 the first year to the second, third, and fourth indicates that the 

 cows used much of the feed the first year to build up their bodies. 



In table II are shown the successive records of cows nos. 7, 8, 

 9, 12, and 33. All of these were aged cows and due to old age 

 were kept but three years in the college herd, where some of them 

 produced heifer calves by purebred dairy bulls. The records 

 of these heifers are shown in subsequent tables. 



It will be noted that these five aged cows did not respond to 

 improved feeding and management in such a way as to show in- 

 creased production during succeeding lactation periods. How- 

 ever, it cannot be said that these cows did not increase in produc- 

 tion after coming to the farm and receiving improved rations 

 and care, as records of their production under the original con- 

 ditions are not available. 



TABLE II AVEEAGE YEAELY EECOEDS OF THE FIVE COWS 



NOS. 7, 8, 9, 12, AND 33 THAT WEEE AGED WHEN 



THEY CAME TO THE COLLEGE FAEM 



