FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 109 



plete the economic circle by producing the best kind of feed 

 instead of buying it, and getting the most of it per acre. 

 On dairy farms where the cows consume the crops, 

 the milk check contains a certain portion of the profits from 

 crops as well as from the cows. The increased pay for the 

 dairyman's labor will depend upon his efficiency in the pro- 

 duction of well chosen crops on every tillable acre of the 

 farm each year, and the proper feeding of these to efficient 

 cows that are well cared for. He can and should raise 

 practically all of the feed on the farm, and the kind of 

 crops that bears directly upon the maximum amount of milk 

 and butterfat that can be most economically and perma- 

 nently obtained from an acre of land. When he sees the 

 plain possibilities of this production he will have little need 

 for commercial feeds. 



3,888 Lbs. Milk Per Acre. 



The cows averaged, including the time dry, 7,470 lbs. 

 of milk and 262 lbs. of fat per cow per year largely on corn 

 silage and alfalfa hay, and without a dollar's worth of feed 

 from outside the farm. This production was obtained un- 

 der economical farm conditions. The remarkable results of 

 this test are that a grade herd produced 3,888 lbs. of milk 

 and 136 lbs. of fat per acre per year for six years from feeds 

 grown solely on this area. This is almost three times the 

 amount of milk per acre that was produced on strictly dairy 

 farms in Illinois and, therefore, challenges the attention of 

 practical dairymen. 



The details of all this experience for six years; how the 

 crops were chosen and handled; how the cows were fed, 

 housed, and cared for; and their condition and production 

 through all the stages and vicissitudes of this period, are 

 necessary to a full understanding of how far and how well 

 these methods solve the problem in actual farm practice. 

 Each feature of the farm work requires a story to set forth 

 its facts and meaning. This article can give only a bird's- 

 eye view of the test and the results and indicate what a 

 substantial advance and economic saving they bring to prac- 

 tical dairy farming. 



