A STUDY IF THE COST OF PEODUCIFG MILK. 



17 



per cow, while the Michigan farm shows a production above 6,000 

 pounds. In 1909 several heifers were added to the Michigan herd, 

 and their yield, while not low for heifers, pulled down the average. 

 Heifers also account in part for the lower yields on the Wisconsin 

 farm for 1910, 1911, and 1912. Frequent individual butter-fat tests 

 were made on all except the North Carolina farm. Of these, the two 

 Jersey herds, Wisconsin and Michigan, have an average production of 

 256 and 281 pomidsof butter fat, respectively, which gives an average 

 test of 4.89 aad 4.47 per cent, respectively. 



According to the Thirteenth United States Census (1910) the aver- 

 age milk production per cow in the 10 leading dairy States is less 

 than 4,200 pounds, and the State showing the highest production 

 has an average of but 4,470 pounds. From this comparison it may 

 be seen that the herds on each of these four farms are representative 

 of good dairy herds. 



Table X. — Quantity of milk and butter fat produced per cow per year on each of the four 



farms. 





Year. 



Wisconsin farm. 



Micliigan farm. 



Pennsylvania farm. 



North 



Carolina 



farm. 





Milk. 



Butterfat. 



Milk. 



Butterfat. 



Milk. 



Butterfat. 



Milk. 



1909 



Pounds. 

 5, .550 

 5,245 

 4,990 

 5,130 



Per ct. 

 4.93 

 4.90 

 4.91 



4.82 



Pounds. 

 274 

 257 

 245 

 247 



Pounds. 

 5,590 

 6,721 

 6,722 

 6,102 



Per ct. 



4.44 

 4.48 

 4.45 

 4.53 



Pounds. 

 247 

 301 

 299 

 276 



Pounds. 



Perct. 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 

 3 988 



1910 



5,805 

 5,483 

 5,273 

 4,832 



4.0 

 4.2 

 4.1 

 4.1 



232 

 230 

 216 

 198 



4,542 

 4,983 



1911 



1912 



5 056 



1913 



5,240 



1914 















6,381 





Average 1 



Average 2 























5,240 



4.89 



256 



6,284 



4.48 



281 



5, .348 



4.1 



207 



5,032 





5,240 



4.89 



256 



6, .536 



4.48 



293 



5,0-53 



4.1 



207 



5,142 



1 Average of all years for ■which reports are given. 



2 Average years for which complete and comparable costs are available. These are the average produc- 

 tion figures used in determining cost per unit in Table XI. The years included in this average are: Wis- 

 consin farm, 1909-1912; Micliigan farm, 1910-1912; Pennsylvania farm, 1912 and 1913; North Carolina 

 farm, 1911-1913. 



NET COST PER UNIT OF PRODUCT. 



Table XI shows the net yearly cost that is chargeable to the pro- 

 duction of milk and the cost per unit of 100 pounds of milk, per 

 40-quart can, and per quart. The cost per pound of butter fat, not 

 deducting credits for skim milk and buttermilk, is also shown. The 

 cost per 100 pounds of milk varies from $1.52 to $2.16, and the cost 

 of other units of measure vary in like proportions. The pounds of 

 milk are changed to quarts by dividing by 2.15. The gross feed cost 

 on the Wisconsin farm is 1.59 cents, as compared with 2.43 cents 

 per quart of milk on the North Carolina farm. 



The relative proportion of each item of cost in the production of 

 100 poimds of milk, which is equally applicable to any other unit 

 used in measuring the product of the dairy, is illustrated by fig. 4. 

 68922°— Bull. 501—17- — 3 



