UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 413 



OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 



Contribution from the Office of Farm Management 



W. J. Spillman, Chief 



SLK-'^^mTU 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



August 24, 1916 



INFLUENCE OF AGE ON THE VALUE OF DAIRY 

 COWS AND FARM WORK HORSES. 



By J. C. McDowell, 

 Agriculturist, Office of Farm Management. 



CONTENTS. 



Influence of age on value of cows 



Influence of age on value of work horsss. 



Page. 

 2 

 II 



Research, work iii farm econoinics includes among other things 

 questions relating to the value of farm animals, farm equipment, and 

 agricultural products. Those who have occasion to buy or sell 

 live stock are constantly confronted with the problem of weighing 

 the many factors influencing the value of farm animals. Of these 

 factors, the age of the animal is one that applies directly to the value 

 of dairy cattle and farm work horses. While age is not the only 

 factor affecting the value of these classes of animals, it is one of the 

 most important. In determining the value of farm animals grown 

 for meat only, which are ordinarily disposed of at an early age, this 

 factor is comparatively unimportant. ' 



By means of personal visits and through correspondence with 

 many of our best informed farmers and live-stock breeders, the OfRce 

 of Farm Management recently attempted to get reliable information 

 concerning the influence of age on the values of dairy cows and farm 

 work horses. Farm Management investigators have found that for 

 farm data the average of a large number of estimates is almost as accu- 

 rate as that of carefully kept records, provided the estimates are given 

 by men who thoroughly know the su])ject under consideration. In this 

 case all estimates were given by men each of whom has had wide expe- 

 rience with the class of live stock on which he furnishes information. 



Note.— This bulletin is of interest to stock-raisers generally. 

 44131°— Bull. 41^-10 



