8 



BULLETIN 9'72, IT. ^S, DEPAETMElvrT OF AGRICULTURE. 



figure the weight of the manure voided in the barn, for, according 

 to the best authorities, a 1,000-pound cow produces 13 tons of manure 

 in a year, or 6^ tons in six months. Full credit was allowed for 

 manure dropped in the stalk fields, but manure dropped in perma- 

 nent pastures was not credited to the herds. If a credit had been 

 given, an additional charge for fertilizer would have been necessary 

 and would have mcreased the pasture rent to the herd. 



A ton of average manure saved on the farms studied, according to 

 the methods used for determining it, was estimated to contain the 

 following fertilizing constituents: 



Pounds. 



Nitrogen 9. 5 



Phosphoric acid 2. 9 



Potash : - 9. 8 



When the nitrogen in commercial fertilizers was worth 24 cents, 

 phosphoric acid 10 cents, and potash 11^ cents a pound, the fertiliz- 

 ing value of these ingredients in a ton of manure would have been 

 $3.70. 



REQUIREMENTS FOR KEEPING A BULL. 



On most of the farms the bulls were allowed to run with the cows 

 both in summer and m winter. As shown in Table 5, the bulls 

 received very little grain. 



Table 5. — Requirements for keeping a bull, by seasons, based on averages obtained from, 



the equivalent of 29.5 bulls. 



Item. 



Winter. 



Summer. 



Entire 

 year. 



Feed: 



Purchased concentrates 



Home-grown grain 



pounds.. 



do 



25 

 644 



10 

 144 



35 



788 





669 



154 



823 





poimds.. 



do 



do-. 



do.... 



pounds.. 



do 





Noncommercial roughage 



Commercial carbohydrate hay 



Commercial legume hay 



501 



266 



1,757 



386 



75 



764 



887 



341 



2,521 



Total dry roughage 



2,524 



1,225 



3,749 



Succulent roughage 



2,185 



129 



82.98 



841 



6 



817. 41 



3,026 

 135 



Pasture" - 



$20. 39 





hours.. 



do 





Human labor 



10.5 



5.6 

 .3 



16.1 

 .3 











Other costs: 



86.30 

 6.07 

 12.77 



.86.34 

 6.11 

 12.86 



812. 64 



Bull's share of buildings 



12.18 



Depreciation on bull.. . . 



25.63 









Total other costs 



825. 14 



825.31 



850. 45 







During the second year one of the bulls died and five were sold for 

 beef at prices far below their purebred values. These facts account 

 largely for the depreciation of S25.63 per bull per year. 



