UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



jfiBfe BULLETIN No. 1071 fitA 

 WW W 



Washington, D. C. T July 12, 1922 



INFLUENCE OF SEASON OF FRESHENING ON PRO- 

 DUCTION AND INCOME FROM DAIRY COWS. 



By J. C. McDowell, Dairy Husbandman, Dairy Division, Bureau of Animal 



Industry. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Basis of the data 1 



Influence of season of freshening 2 



Value of products 3 



Milk and butterfat production. 3 



Feed cost 5 



Income above feed cost 7 



Page. 



Influence of month of freshening 7 



How the months ranked 9 



Conclusions 9 



Summary 10 



BASIS OF THE DATA. 



There is a widespread belief that cows produce more milk and 

 butterfat, and that they produce more economically, if they freshen 

 in the fall or winter than if they freshen in the spring or summer. 

 Tabulations of cow-testing-association records show that a definite 

 relation does exist between season of freshening and other factors, 

 but that the relation is not the same everywhere and under all condi- 

 tions. That relation seems to depend to some extent on cost of feed, 

 condition of pastures, and geographical location with reference to 

 markets. 



Under such circumstances a study of averages for a large number 

 of cow-testing associations taken indiscriminately might be mislead- 

 ing unless followed by a further study of the records of each asso- 

 ciation. The conclusions given in the following pages are based on 

 averages of the records of 64 associations combined, and on averages 

 of the records of each association. The figures cover the period 1910 

 to 1020, inclusive. From each association the records used were for 

 one year only. To avoid possible error due to incomplete data or to 

 short-time tests, records were discarded if the breed and age were 

 omitted or if the cow was on test less than 12 months. Tabulations 

 on breed and age showed that these were not factors influencing the 

 conclusion drawn in this bulletin. In the 04 associations studied 

 then- were on yearly test 10,870 cows whose age and date of freshen- 



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