BULLETIN 1071, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ing were given. The computations in this bulletin are based on the 



records of these cows. Cost of feed and price of product are based 



on actual figures as given by the testers on the individual cow record 



sheets. 



INFLUENCE OF SEASON OF FRESHENING. 



In Table 1 the records of the cows on test 12 months in 64 cow- 

 testing associations are grouped according to the season when the 

 cows freshened. 



Table 1. 



-Date of freshening, by seasons, with average yearly feed and produc- 

 tion records, per cow. 



Number 

 of cows. 



Milk 

 produc- 

 tion. 



Butter- 

 fat pro- 

 duction. 



Cost of 

 roughage, 



Cost of 

 grain. 



Cost of 

 feed. 



Income 

 over 



cost of 

 feed. 



Spring (March, April, and May) 

 Summer (June, July, and 



August) 



Fall (September, October, and 



November) 



Winter (December, January, 



and February) 



Total and averages 



3,196 

 1,328 

 2,862 

 3,484 



Pounds. 

 5,842 



5,941 



6,689 



6,439 



Pounds. 

 236 



236 



268 



258 



$37.51 

 37.62 

 38.94 

 37.65 



$19.22 

 22.48 

 28.45 

 25.51 



$56.73 

 60.10 

 67.39 

 63.16 



$70. 73 

 66.59 

 76.65 

 75.66 



10,870 



6,269 



37.95 



24.06 



62.01 



73.36 



The cows that freshened in the fall months ranked highest in 

 average yearly production of milk and butterf at, in cost of feed and 

 in income over cost of feed. In all these points, the cows that 

 freshened in the winter ranked second. Of the 10,870 cows, 6,346 

 freshened in the fall and winter and 4,524 freshened in the spring and 

 summer. On an average the cows that freshened in the spring pro- 

 duced the least milk and those that freshened in the summer produced 

 the least income over cost of feed. Care and quality of cows are big 

 factors in determining production and income, but the large number 

 of records in each group would tend to prevent great variation among 

 group averages due to such causes. 



Fewer cows freshened in the summer than at any other season. 

 This may have been due partly to a belief among dairymen that it 

 pays better to have cows freshen at some other time of year, a belief 

 that seems to be supported generally by the records. It is also true 

 that the season of freshening can not always be controlled. The feed 

 bill, especially the amount spent on grain, was lowest for the cows 

 that freshened in the spring. This was doubtless because the long pas- 

 ture period, when little grain was fed, came during the early part of 

 the lactation period. The total cost of feed, however, was not low 

 enough to give the cows that freshened in the spring first or even 

 second place in yearly income over cost of feed. If cost of labor were 

 to be included, the figures would doubtless be even more favorable 

 to fall and early winter freshening, on account of the scarcity and 

 high cost of labor in some districts during the summer months. 



