A STUDY IIST THE COST OF PEODUCING MILK. 



25 



farm is hired primarily for the production of crops, and the use of 

 this labor in the care of live stock supplements the crop labor, making 

 it seem equally logical to charge crops at a high rate and the live stock 

 at a low rate per hour. But no distinction of this kind has been made 

 in this bulletin. 



The cost of caring for the dairy cow on the more general farm is 

 low. Extra workmen are seldom hired for this purpose. During 

 the crop-growing season the cows are cared for in addition to the 

 regular day's work in the field. Quite often the women and children 

 do the milking, especially at times when crop work is heavy and the 

 men are required to work late. Again, during the winter months 

 there is little or no productive field work, and the dairy cows furnish 



Fig. 6.— Distribution of man labor by months on the dairy enterprise as compared with the hours used 

 by other live stock and that available for growing crops and other work on the Wisconsin farm, 1911. 



employment for labor that would otherwise be idle. As a result of 

 these conditions the actual cash outlay for labor is frequently no 

 greater with a few cows on the farm than it would be without them. 

 On these general farms, the same principle which is true for the feed 

 is also true for labor; that is, it is not a question of getting 15 or 20 

 cents per hour for this labor, but of getting something, and in so 

 doing increase the income of the farm business. 



Figure 6 is a chart showing for the Wisconsin farm in 1911 the 

 distribution of man labor by months on "the dairy enterprise, as com- 

 pared with the hours devoted to the care of other live stock and those 

 devoted to growing crops and to other necessary work. This shows 

 that the most labor on the dairy comes during the period from Octo- 

 ber to April. The system of winter dairying practiced on this farm 



