12 
BULLETIN 423, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
factor determining the labor requirement, the installation of the 
milking machine replaces some of the regularly employed help. The 
value of the labor replaced yearly by the mechanical milker varies^ 
according to estimates made by the dairymen interviewed, from $2.63 
per cow in herds of 15 cows or less to $8.33 per cow in herds of more 
than 50 cows. There is an addition to the time available for field 
work, varying from 1.5 hours of man labor per day on farms keeping 
herds of 15 cows or less to 5.1 hours on farms keeping herds of over 
50 cows, due to the use of the milking machine. To this may be 
attributed, in part, the reduction in labor hired. As previously 
mentioned an increase in the time available for field work makes it 
possible to do more work with the regular force and often eliminates 
the necessity of hiring extra help. 
Table V. — Saving due to machines in time and in wages paid to hired labor 
as estimated by the dairymen interviewed. 
Size of herd. 
Number of 
farms with 
herds of each 
size. 
Farmers' esti- 
mate of hours 
of working 1 
time saved by- 
use of the 
mechanical 
milker (per 
day, per farm). 
Estimated sav- 
ing of wages 
paid to labor 
due to the use- 
of the milking 
machine (per 
cow, per year). 
32 1.5 
72 i 2.2 
41 3.0 
11 
§2 63 
16 to 30 cows 
5 9£ 
4 93 
8.33 
i Such time as is saved from milking is available for a man and team. When the laborer leaves his work 
to milk, if he is using a team it must be stabled; hence, man and horse time is affected, depending upon the 
nature of the work. 
Table VI. — Comparative annual costs of hand and machine milking on farm* 
with herds of different sizes in the areas studied. 
Machine milking. 
Hand milking. 
Size of herd. 
Num- 
ber of 
farms 
with 
herds 
of each 
size. 
Inter- 
est on 
invest- 
ment 
(per 
cow). 
Value 
of gas 
and oil 
(per 
cow). 
Cost of 
repairs 
(per 
cow). 
Depre- 
ciation 
(per 
cow). 
Labor 
cost 
(per 
cow). 
Total 
cost 
(per 
cow). 
Num- 
ber of 
farms 
with 
herds 
of each 
size. 
Labor 
cost 
(rer 
cow). 
15 cows and less 
1(5 to 30 cows . 
32 
72 
41 
11 
SI. 26 
.79 
.61 
.56 
SO. 94 
.84 
.84 
.83 
SO. 20 
.20 
.25 
.36 
SI. 98 
1.00 
1.49 
1.12 
S7.39 
7.31 
6.03 
4.47 
$11. 77 
10.14 
9.22 
7.34 
2S 
63 
16 
6 
S10. 91 
10.26 
10.11 
10.45 
156 
.82 
.86 - 22 
1.24 
6.79 
9.93 
113 
10.41 
The labor cost of milking by hand and by machine milking is 
shown in Table VI. Wages are figured at 0.123 cents per hour. The 
labor costs conform to the time required to milk by hand and ma- 
chine milking as shown in Table IV. They remain nearly the same 
in herds of various sizes when hand milked, but diminish in the 
