6 N. H. Agr. Experiment Station [Bulletin 289 



in number of nipples, their functional capacity and general increase in milk 

 yield is now marked. 



About half of the ewe flock now has four functional nipples and the 

 milk yield in ewes is noticeably improved. With another two years of breed- 

 ing the whole ewe flock should have four functional nipples, after which it 

 will be possible to report further on the manner of inheritance of this trait. 



Progress in the improvement in twinning is more or less at a standstill 

 with about half the ewes breeding twins. Although only twin-bred sires 

 are being used, no further marked progress is expected until the ewes can 

 be selected on this basis. Due to the small flock this must be delayed until 

 the four functional nipple trait has been established in the whole flock. (£. 

 G. Ritsmau — Adams Fund.) 



Preliminary Study of Dairy Herd Replacements 

 in Southern New Hampshire 



The purchasing power of dairy cows declined rapidly from 1930 through 

 August, 1934, at which time it stood at 55 per cent of pre-war. Cows were 

 relatively cheap during 1932 and 1933. A survey of 200 southern New 

 Hampshire farms shows that the average price paid by farmers for pro- 

 ductive grade cows during the year ending May 1, 1933, was $71. The 

 average feed costs of raising a heifer to age of freshening exclusive of 

 pasture costs was $67. Farmers generally admitted that it was cheaper to 

 buy cows than to raise them, but stated among other reasons that disease 

 was less likely when replacements were raised rather than purchased. The 

 survey supports this reasoning. 



For 164 of these farms complete data were obtained relative to the tuber- 

 culin test. Of the 2,837 cows tested, 59 per cent had been raised on their 

 respective farms and 41 per cent were purchased cows. Forty per cent of 

 all the cows reacted. Only 29% of the cows raised on the farms where tested 

 were reactors compared with 55% of the purchased cows. There were 

 22 herds in which all cows were purchased, and 51 in which all cows 

 were raised; the reactors amounted to 49 per cent and 15 per cent respect- 

 ively of the cows tested. Those farmers who subjected their herds to 

 examination between January 1, 1931, and May 1, 1933, lost 48 per cent 

 of their cows, and those who had their herds examined before 1925 lost 

 only 31 per cent. In general, greater losses were incurred as a result of delay. 



There were no reactors in four dual purpose herds. Mixed herds in 

 which no breed was predominant lost 68 per cent of the cows tested. The 

 per cent loss on other farms according to majority breed were as follows : 

 Holstein, 42 ; Jersey, Z7 ; Ayrshire, Zi ; and Guernsey, 24. 



Forty per cent of the grade cows were reactors as compared with 36 

 per cent for purebreds, but 22 per cent of the purebreds that were raised 

 on the respective farms reacted and only 28 per cent of the grade cows. 



For the year ending May 1, 1933, four per cent of the cows on the 200 

 farms aborted and 2.7 per cent failed to breed. Slinkers amounted to 7.7 

 per cent of all the cows owned by farmers who purchased one-half or more 

 of their replacements, compared with 3.2 per cent for farmers who raised 

 more than one-half of their replacements. For 20 farms on which all re- 

 placements were bought, 10.1 per cent of the cows aborted, and for 52 farms 



