2 BULLETIN 858, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE INDIANA PROJECT. 



The project with which this publication deals was organized in 

 Porter County, Ind., in cooperation with the Purdue University 

 Agricultural Extension Department. The work was begun in August, 

 1915, and was continued for 2 years. The specialist employed by 

 the two departments made monthly visits from September, 1915, to 

 September, 1917, to each of a group of dairy farms in the northwestern 

 part of the State. This section was selected because the milk from 

 most of the farms in that vicinity was shipped and sold as market 

 milk. All the farms included in this report were approximately 

 40 miles from Chicago and near-by cities. The many railroads run- 

 ning into Chicago through this territory afforded convenient shipping 

 facilities. 



The dairies were representative of dairy-farming conditions in that 

 locality. Dairies conducted as hobbies or as breeding establish- 

 ments were not included in the study, and with one exception the 

 herds selected were owned or handled by resident farmers, many of 

 whom lived on rented farms. 



Although the figures obtained show what was required to produce 

 market milk under the system of dairy management found in the 

 section studied, and probably approximate the requirements in 

 similar sections, they of course do not apply to dairying in other 

 sections where other conditions and methods of management prevail. 



The Chicago board of health inspected the dairies shipping milk 

 to that city, and the equipment and methods used in the production 

 and handling of the milk were subject to its supervision. Thus the 

 figures given in this publication represent the requirements for 

 producing milk in that section of Indiana for the Chicago market. 

 The cost of production would have been somewhat different if either 

 higher or lower grades of milk had been produced. 



METHODS USED IN OBTAINING THE DATA. 



The data obtained in this study are actual records obtained by 

 regular visits of one day a month to 12 farms for 2 years and to 13 

 other. farms for 1 year. The specialist recorded in detail all avail- 

 able information relative to the dairy business, including the amounts 

 and classes of labor, feed and bedding used, the pasture cost, the 

 amount of milk sold and that used on the farm, and the current 

 expenses for the month. Accurate data on calves and first-hand 

 information on methods of handling manure were systematically 

 collected. 



By obtaining records on every dairy regularly each month, the 

 influence of unusual circumstances at the time of any particular 

 visit was lessened, and by using the records of all the herds for each 

 month average figures could be compiled for all the dairies and 



