72 AMERICAN DAIRYING. 



second prize, .089, and third prize, .095. This 

 work, when compared with the work of the 

 previous winter for the same months and under 

 the same conditions as nearly as possible, is in- 

 teresting to gay the least. Some of the work 

 of the previous winters was alarming, though 

 it was doubtless as good as the average milk- 

 ing. I have the record of one milker for three 

 months in 1892 and 1893, also in 1893 and 1894. 

 In the first winter his percentage of shrinkage 

 for the three months was 27^ per cent, and the 

 following winter when competing for a prize 

 his shrinkage was 9| per cent for the same 

 months. When not competing for a prize his 

 shrinkage was 7 lbs. per cow in three months; 

 when competing it was 2.6 lbs. — a difference of 

 4.4 lbs. 



The difference between the poorest work of 

 the winters of 1892 and 1893 and the best work 

 of 1893 and 1894 rolls up in a way to frighten 

 me and make me doubt my own figures. The 

 poorest work shows a shrinkage of 9^ lbs, per 

 cow in three months, and the best work shows 

 a shrinkage of 1.88 lbs. per cow for the same 

 length of time. This difference is 7.62 lbs. per 

 cow daily. I think it fair to suppose that the 

 average difference of shrinkage for the three 

 months would be one-half as much as it was at 

 the end of the three months. This would be 

 3.81 lbs. per day for the 90 days, or 343 lbs. 



