INFLUENCE OF SEASON OF FRESHENING ON DAIRY COWS. 
It is also true that fall-freshening cows are dry at the time of year 
when field work is generally greatest. 
FEED COST. 
The cost of roughage was about the same regardless of the season 
of freshening, but there was a considerable difference in the cost of 
grain. Table 5 shows how the four seasons ranked on average cost of 
grain per cow ; that is, the year's cost of grain for cows of the dif- 
ferent seasons. 
Table 5. — Seasons when cows freshened ranked according to cost of grain re- 
quired for the yeafs feed. 
Season of freshening. 
Number of times ranked. 
First. 
Second. 
Third. 
Fourth. 
6 
9 
44 
5 
5 
15 
14 
30 
12 
23 
5 
24 
41 
Summer 
15 
Fall 
1 
Winter 
5 
In 44 of the 64 associations fall freshening ranked first in cost of 
grain to feed a cow a year and in only one of the 64 associations did 
the fall-freshening cows rank fourth in cost of grain. On an aver- 
age the cost of grain was highest for the cows that freshened in the 
fall (see Table 1) , next highest for those that freshened in the winter, 
and lowest for those that freshened in the spring. The average cost 
of grain per cow was lowest in 41 of the 64 associations for the cows 
that freshened in the spring. 
As the cost of roughage for the year was about the same regardless 
of the date of freshening, the total cost of feed varied approximately 
according to the cost of grain. Table 6 shows how the seasons ranked 
on total cost of feed. 
Table 6. — Seasons when cotes freshened ranked according to total cost of feed. 
Season of freshening. 
Number of times ranked. 
First. 
Second. 
Third. 
Fourth. 
Spring 
8 
9 
42 
5 
5 
14 
18 
27 
11 
24 
3 
26 
40 
15 
1 
6 
Summer 
Fall 
Winter 
.... jmm^y- 
'.1 o 
J 3 
In 8 associations the feed costfM v -a% greatest for the cows that 
freshened in the spring, in 9 the feed .cost was greatest for those that 
freshened in the summer, in 42 the: feed cost was greatest for those 
; 
