PRODUCING MARKET MILK IN NORTHWESTERN INDIANA. 2*7 



they depend directly on the relative cost of the various items which 

 are required to produce milk. The same is true of the percentages 

 given as representing the part of the total cost which was offset by 

 the credits allowed for calves and manure. The percentages are 

 influenced not only by the variation in costs, but also by the values 

 allowed for calves and manure and the amount of manure credited 

 to the herds. 



PRESENTATION OF RESULTS BY MONTHS, SEASONS, AND YEARS. 



The variation in the monthly feed cost during any one of the 

 seasons in either year was not large. In most cases the variations, 

 as shown in Tables 15 and 16, are no more than might naturally occur 

 on account of local conditions, such as a fluctuation in the price of 

 feed or weather conditions. The reason why the November feed 

 cost of each year was lower than for the other winter months probably 

 is that during that month some of the herds were allowed to run in 

 the fields that had been in crops, in order that scattered feed might 

 be kept from going to waste. Some of the dairymen were later than 

 others in beginning to feed their regular full winter rations. 



The cost of feed other than pasture fluctuates from month to month 

 in the summer, and the same is true of the cost of pasture, but when 

 these two costs are combined the variation in the total monthly feed 

 and pasture cost is no more than occurred in the winter months. 

 In distributing the pasture cost over the summer seasons the amount 

 of grass furnished by the pastures each month was estimated and 

 the total season's charge for pasture distributed accordingly. The 

 following per cents were used for both years: May, 15 per cent; 

 June, 33 per cent; July, 20 per cent; August, 10 per cent; Septem- 

 ber, 12 per cent; and October, 10 per cent. Since the records have 

 been compiled it appears that these figures must have been fairly 

 accurate, for wherever a heavy charge for pasture was made the 

 amount of other feed consumed was comparatively small. 



