PRODUCING MILK IN WESTERN WASHINGTON. 7 



spring it is a common practice in this dairy section to turn the cows 

 in the meadows for a short time, thereby obtaining a shorter but 

 finer hay crop, which is a decided advantage when hay is inclined to 

 grow tall and coarse. 



The small quantity of bedding used was due to the fact that the 

 winters were so mild that the cows were kept in the barn only during 

 January, February, and March, while at least three of the herds 

 received practically no bedding. 



The hours of labor expended per cow in summer and in winter did 

 not differ materially. The time required in winter for feeding and 

 for cleaning stables was used in summer for driving the cows to and 

 from pasture; also in summer more time was necessary for milking 

 on account of increased production. 



CREDIT FOR MANURE. 



On the average dairy farm the commercial value of manure de- 

 pends upon the use to which it is put. The return in dollars depends 

 upon the increase in the crops raised and in the amount received from 

 the sale of these crops. These facts may reduce or increase the value 

 of manure below or above the market price of the fertilizing constitu- 

 ents contained in it. 



The farming land in many parts of western Washington is re- 

 claimed swamp land and the soil is unusually fertile. Dairymen 

 therefore derived very little benefit from the application of manure 

 and did not place a high valuation on it. The credit for the manure, 

 however, which was the same for summer and winter, was based on 

 the market price of the fertilizing constituents contained in it. 



The prices per pound of the fertilizing constituents in the manure 

 for the first year were as follows : Nitrogen, $0.25 ; commercial phos- 

 phoric acid, $0.06 ; and potash, $0,068. The prices during the second 

 year were $0,191 for nitrogen, $0,056 for phosphoric acid, and $0,068 

 for potash. 



Only that manure which was saved or could have been saved under 

 ordinary farm conditions was credited to the cows. In order to de- 

 termine the amount of manure saved, a monthly record was kept of 

 the time the cows were actually in the stables. This made it possible 

 to figure the weight of manure voided in the barns, for, according to 

 the best authorities, a 1,000-pound cow will produce 13 tons of ma- 

 nure in a year, or 6| tons for six months. The manure dropped on 

 the pasture was not credited to the herds ; if a credit had been given, 

 an offset charge against the pasture for fertilizer would have been 

 necessary. 



Many of the stables had holes in the gutters to permit the liquid 

 to escape ; therefore a deduction was made wherever necessary to cover 

 this loss. Also a deduction of 25 per cent in the summer and 30 per 

 cent in the winter, or rainy season, was made to cover the loss to the 

 manure while in the yard exposed to the weather. 



