278 



DAIRY FARMING 



a few moderate-priced pure-breds and, with a good bull, 

 can gradually develop a good herd. Ordinary pure-breds 

 can be improved just as grade cows can be improved. The 

 advantage of the pure-breds is that after one has them im- 

 proved, they are in greater demand for breeding purposes 

 because they are recorded. 



239. Acres per Animal Unit. Another way of comparing 

 farms is on the basis of the number of acres of crops grown 

 per animal unit kept. Results for one dairy region in New 

 York are given in Table 46. The amount of stock that it 

 pays to keep, of course, depends on the returns that one gets 

 from it. With very poor returns, very little stock should 

 be kept. The better the returns, the more heavily the 

 place should be stocked. With good stock in the region 

 here mentioned, it pays best to have an animal unit other 

 than horses for each 3 to 4 acres of crops. The exact amount 

 that it pays to keep will of course vary with different regions 

 and on different farms, but nearly always it is best to have 

 the place moderately well stocked rather than go to either 

 extreme. 



TABLE 46. RELATION OF ACRES OF CROPS PER ANIMAL AND 

 RECEIPTS PER ANIMAL UNIT TO LABOR INCOME. 670 FARMS, 

 JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK 



