308 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



Why This Circular Is Written. 



Since there are many dairy farms in Illinois that approach 

 these conditions, where the farmers attempt to go into dairying 

 by simply putting cows on the farm without changing the crops 

 raised and continue indenitely without attempting to adapt the 

 crops raised to the best ration for a dairy herd, it has been thought 

 wise to show a comparison of results — the relative efficiency — 

 of different systems of cropping on dairy farms. This has 

 been done by comparing the amounts of nutrients produced 

 annually by the different crops in the various systems. From 

 the results thus obtained has been determined the average 

 amount of milk that can be produced by feeding the crops to 

 good dairy cows under ordinary farm conditions. Four differ- 

 ent systems of cropping have been compared, using, in each 

 case, 1 60 acres of good land and producing all of the feed on 

 the farm, as this is the only way to make the four. systems com- 

 parable. 



To indicate actual tested results as found by the Experi- 

 ment Station in a full years record, six dairy farms in the Elgin 

 district of from 151 to 350 acres, carrying from 43 to 80 cows 

 which were much alike in production, yielded the following re- 

 spective amounts of milk per acre: 994 pounds, 1,137 pounds, 

 1,341 pounds, 1,382 pounds, 1,412 pounds and 2,145 pounds. 

 Only one of these farms compares favorably with the third best 

 of the four systems described in this circular, and it produced 

 only about two-thirds as much milk per acre as the corn and 

 alfalfa system. It must also be considered that on these farms 

 large amounts of commercial feeds were purchased. 



The Four Systems of Cropping. 



Four acres of every quarter section as called for in the 

 deed are used for public highways, and another four acres is 

 allowed for buildings and yards, leaving 152 acres for actual 

 cultivation. If this were in eight equal fields, each would con- 

 tain 19 acres, hence the unusual numbers of acres in this divis- 



