A STUDY IN THE COST OF PRODUCING MILK. 7 
The average price per ton of the mixture of concentrates for each 
of the years was $26.56, $24.26, $24.40, and $29.40, respectively, the 
average for the four years being $26.16. The average price per ton 
of all dry roughage ranged from $7.51 to $11.48, the average for the 
four years being $8.71. The four-year average price of alfalfa was 
$12.75, mixed and clover hay $8.50, and corn stover $3.04 per ton. 
Silage, including some green corn, was valued at from $3.13 to $4 
per ton, the yearly average being $3.68. 
Table III. — Annual quantity of feed and its cost per cow on the Wisconsin farm. 
Year. 
Concentrates. 
Dry roughage. 
Silage. 
Pasture. 
Total 
feed 
cost. 
Quantity. 
Value. 
Quantity. 
Value. 
Quantity. 
Value. 
Days. 
Value. 
1909 
Pounds. 
1,920 
1,600 
1,588 
1,310 
825. 52 
19.42 
19.78 
19.26 
Pounds. 
2,005 
2,546 
1,780 
1,297 
S8.53 
9.55 
7.70 
7.46 
Pounds. 
6,754 
7,010 
7,160 
7,401 
S10. 59 
14.02 
14.32 
13.20 
184 
214 
184 
198 
S6.02 
6.42 
6.10 
8.83 
$50. 66 
1910 
49.41 
1911... 
47.90 
1912 
48.75 
Average, 4 years. 
1,605 
21.00 
1,907 
8.31 
7,081 13.03 
195 
6.84 
49.18 
THE MICHIGAN FARM. 
Table IV gives a summary of the quantity of feed consumed per 
cow and its costs for the Michigan farm herd for the years 1909 to 
1912. Only the last three years are considered in obtaining an aver- 
age to show the typical feeding methods practiced on this farm. The 
smaller quantities and value of feeds consumed per cow in 1909 are 
due to the fact that a number of heifers were fed in the herd the full 
year, although not giving milk except for a few weeks toward the 
end of the year. The larger quantity of concentrates and silage per 
cow on this farm for the year does not mean a larger daily ration, 
since the cows were stall-fed throughout the year. The use of the 
lot for pasture and exercise was charged to them on the basis of cost 
for interest, taxes, and fencing repairs. Expenses for feed and bed- 
ding are quite uniform for 1910 to 1912. Approximately 47 per cent 
of this feed cost is for concentrates, 26 per cent for dry roughage, 
25 per cent fOr silage, and 2 per cent for pasture. The concentrates 
were fed in the form of mixtures, consisting principally of bran, dried 
beet pulp, cottonseed meal, gluten feed, and ground beans. Bran 
was usually purchased in carload lots. The average price per ton of 
the mixture of concentrates was $21.84, $22.92, $24.78, and $23.52, 
respectively, the four-year average being $23.36. About one-third 
of the dry roughage consisted of alfalfa, and most of the remainder 
was timothy and clover hay, the average price per ton of each being 
$17.74 and $12.61, respectively. A small quantity of corn husks and 
straw valued at $5 per ton was used. The average yearly price for 
all dry roughage was $14 per ton, and silage was valued at $3 per 
ton each year. 
