CHAPTER VIII. 



THE AVERAGE FARM COW. 



In our work as practicing veterinarians we 

 see almost all kinds of cows — that is, the kind 

 that are kept by the average farmer. It may 

 seem absurd, but we believe that there are few 

 farmers who really give verj' much thought 

 or attention to their cows. The reason that 

 most farmers keep poor cows is that they do 

 not have any idea what the cost of the pro- 

 duction is. They figure only the amount of 

 production. We firmly believe that more than 

 50 per cent of farmers' cows are boarders. We 

 can not understand why farmers do not keep 

 accounts and find just where they stand. It 

 is poor business to keep live stock that does 

 not pay, yet that is just what many farmers 

 art doing in the richest section of Ohio, and 

 in all the other states, for that matter. 



Many farm cows are existing at the expense of 

 some of the other live stock on the farm. The 

 failure of the average farm cow is not always her 

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