20 



A. 11. Ac;i;. Expekimext Station 



[Bulletin 260 



dairy breeds. Holstein animals far outnumbered all others. ]\Iany 

 farms had mixed herds made up usually of two breeds. In these eases, 

 the main herd was likely to be comi)osed of Holsteins, but would in- 

 clude a very few Jerseys or Guernseys to improve the fat test. 



Of the whole group of farms, 90 per cent had done some tuberculin 

 testing. Registered cows were found in 23 per cent of the herds. There 

 were only .seven farms that had all pure-bred cattle — four Ilolsteins, 

 two Ayrshire.s and one Jerseys. The average value per head for 6,351 

 cows on 414 farms, April 1, 1930, was $111. The farmers estimated that 

 the average value of cows of equal (piality one year before, April 1, 

 1929, was $116. This is in accord with price changes for the country 

 as a whole. The i)rice per head for dairy cows received by farmers as 

 estimated by the United States Department of Agriculture was $92.80 

 on March 15, 1929, and $81.00 on March 15, 1930." The price was going 

 up until the last quarter of 1929 when it started down in conformity 

 to previous cycles. The purchasing power, or exchange value for other 

 commodities, of dairy cows and beef cattle since 1880 is shown in Fig- 

 ure 3. The peaks of high prices and troughs of low prices for beef cat- 

 tle and dairy cows occur at the same time. There has been evidence 

 for several years that too many heifers Avere being raised. Prices are 

 likely to decline for several years now and to recover for another peak 

 by 1943 or 1945. The estimated change in value for this group of farms 

 of only $5 a head is probably too low. A majority of the farmers did 

 not realize that the trend in prices had so definitely turned downward 

 because they had not been buying or selling cattle. 





IS8C 



1390 



/9eo 



f9*r 



Figure .3. Purclmsing ])<)\vov of tilt; price (if ))eef cattlo aiui dairy i-ows in tht 



United states, 1 HSO- 1 illil.* 



As most of the ten young cattle per farm were heifers and heifer 

 calves to raise, there would be some four new cows from this source 

 on each fai-ni annually, ]")rovided the heifers freshened at two and one- 

 liair years. On most farms, there were more than ample heifers for re- 

 l)lacements. However, various reasons influenced some farmers to keep 

 no heifers. Twenty-two per cent reported abortion. This figure is 

 doubtless low. Some had dispensed with young stock in anticipation 

 of the tubei'culin test. A few devoted all their stable room and avail- 

 able feed and pasture to the i)roduction of milk. 



'(Farm I'cotKmiiis, N'o. 09. Feliniary, liKU, p 



Ttliaca. New Yorl< ) 



W. 



pvililislicd liy ('(iriiell University, 



