THE COST OF FEED 9 



and much of the grain. Pasture produces more milk than other 

 feed at one-fifth to one-tenth of the cost." 



The amount charged for pasture varies with different in- 

 vestigators, as for example Hooper and Robertson * suggest 

 $1 to $1.50 per month, Rasmussen^ 25 cents to $1 per month, 

 Lindsey ^ 5 cents per day, Thompson ^ $4.29 per cow and 

 accompanying stock for the season, and Woll ^ $5 per season. 

 At these prices the cost while on pasture is very much cheaper 

 than if the cows were fed in any other way. It shows, how- 

 ever, how important a factor the pasture is in calculating feed 

 costs and the importance of indicating in cost records the part 

 of the feed secured from pasture. Tables given by Woll on 

 pages 71 and 74 show how valuable pasture is to a dairyman 

 when it costs no more than $5 per season, as he has estimated. 

 The best Holsteins secured 1,153 f^^d units, or one-eighth of 

 all the feed units consumed from grass, while the best Jerseys 

 secured 1,506 units, or one-fourth. The total cost of feed for 

 the former was $99.23, and for the latter $80.06, and the pas- 

 ture furnished one-eighth of the units for the Holsteins and 

 one-fourth for the Jerseys at a cost of only $5. Good pasture 

 will supply 10 feed units per day,* and a unit is based upon 

 the equivalent in feeding value of a pound of corn. When 

 corn, therefore, is worth i cent per pound a dairyman can 

 afford to pay 10 cents per day, or $3 per month for good pas- 

 ture rather than feed his cows in the barn on feed of equal 

 cost. It should be said, however, that a high-producing cow 

 can not get enough feed from pasture to keep up her flow and 

 maintain her weight. When pasture is charged at a definite 

 price per month or season the economy of production favors 

 the smaller producer. Cows giving large amounts of milk 

 need some concentrated feeds in addition to pasture. 



In pre-calculating costs, therefore, the amount of time on 

 pasture must be determined, and the time the cows are on 



1 N.Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. (Cornell), Bull. No. 357, p. 140. 

 " New Hamp. Agr. Exp. Sta., Ext. Bull. No. 2, p. 4. 

 ' Mass. Agr. Exp. Sta., Bull. No. 145, p. g. 

 < N.Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. (Cornell), Bull. No. 364, p. 216. 

 " Wise. Agr. Exp. Sta., Research Bull. No. 26, p. 58. 

 ^ Wise. Agr. Exp. Sta., Circular No. 37, p. 6. 



