20 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



product. The. actual results as based upon many tests and care- 

 ful estimates, are made plainer and more emphatic by the ac- 

 companying chart, in which each square from the bottom to the 

 top represents $10, in cost of keep or value of product, and in 

 which each square from the left to the right represents 1,000 

 pounds of milk produced. The heavy line at the left and the 

 heavy line at the bottom each stand for zero. The diagonal lines 

 represent the cost of keep and the value of the product. 



The distance from the heavy base line at the bottom to the 

 gently ascending, heavy black line, represents the cost of keep 

 for various yields of milk. The distance from the heavy line 

 on the left to the intersection of either of the ascending lines 

 represents pounds of milk produced. For example, the cost of 

 keep for a cow producing 2,000 pounds of milk is $58, as shown 

 at the intersection on the 2,000 pound line, while the cost of 

 keep for a cow producing 7,000 pounds of milk is $80, as in- 

 dicated by the heavy line where it is intersected by the horizon- 

 tal and vertical lines running from the "$80" and "7,000 

 pounds," respectively, on the margins. The heavy dotted line, 

 ascending at a much greater angle, shows how much more 

 rapidly the value of the milk increases than the increase in cost 

 of keep. 



Where It All Hinges. 



The heavy line and heavy dotted line intersects where the 

 production is approximately 4,000 pounds of milk, and the cost 

 of keep $67. This is the danger point, and means that at this 

 amount of production there is no profit or loss on the cow — the 

 milk just paying market price for the feed, labor, etc., leaving 

 no balance for the dairyman's living or bank account. For 

 yields below this, the distance between the heavy continuous and 

 dotted lines represents loss. 



For yields above this, the distance between the heavy con- 

 tinuous and dotted lines represents profit for head work above 

 pay for the feed and labor at the market price. 



The question is frequently asked, "How can it be true that 

 such a large percentage of dairymen are keeping cows at a loss, 



