114 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



at $70.00 to $110.00 an acre and I would inquire whether you 

 or any number of dairymen have tested this sufficient to know the 

 cost of bringing a farm bred animal to maturity at two years or 

 two and a half years old, as compared with buying fresh cows in 

 the ordinary course of business. 



Prof. Fraser : — We have been for nearly three years getting 

 data on that subject. It is not of sufficient quantity yet to say 

 much about it. 



By the President: — I have tried that personally. I pay 

 $10.00 an acre for the land I farm. I have a five years record 

 of every cost of keep of heifer calves I raise in a practical way. 

 Took monthly records until two years ago. It is seven years 

 since I started to keep the record. Five cents a gallon for the 

 skim milk and 12^/2 cents a gallon for whole milk to start heifer 

 calves with. Cost of feed on market, cost of hay and value of 

 the calf to start with. I found heifers will cost you on $200.00 

 land an average of $45.00 to bring them into milk. I think 

 that a very careful estimate. 



:— How much cut down on $100.00 land? 



A : — I can better afford to bring my calves into milk at cost 

 of $15.00 or $50.00 than go to Minnesota or Wisconsin and buy 

 cows that they are glad to push off on me at $55.00 or $65.00. 

 My heifers are all giving an average better than the average 

 of cows I can buy at maturity for the same money or even more. 

 Next year will be better. 



O : — What is this milk you bring heifers up with? 



A : — Skim milk. 



O : — How much a hundred ? 



A: — Sixty cents a hundred. Isn't giving that heifer half 

 a chance. 



Mr. Wiggins : — I can sell it for that. 



Mr. Gurler: — Raise heifer calves and produce your cow as 

 cheap as you can buy it for skim milk, we average dairymen can 

 do better than that. 



A : — You can beat that all hollow in that country. 



Mr. Gurler : — In the past three months been testmg up some 

 heifers at two years old, weigh 800 lbs. or along between seven 



