50 
BULLETIN 1271, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
DAIRY COWS 
In 1921 there were seven herds, in which all the cows were milked 
by hand throughout their period of lactation and for which a record 
of the entire milk and butt erf at production for the year is therefore 
available. These dairy herds are bred to freshen during the late fall 
and winter. Forty-two per cent of the calves in 1921 were born 
during October, November, and December, and 46 per cent from 
January to April, inclusive. The disposition of the calves is con- 
sidered under the discussion of young dairy stock. The product of 
these cows is marketed as cream in nearly every case. The milk is 
separated on the farm and fed to calves and hogs. The cream is 
sold to the local creamery or to shipping stations. In case sweet 
cream is sold, it must be delivered at least three times a week in 
summer and twice a week in winter. One farmer bottled his whole 
milk and maintained a milk route in Windom. On another farm 
the cream was churned and the butter sold in town. The general 
method of caring for and handling these cows is indicated in the 
discussion of causes for variations in feed, labor, and production. 
The quantities of feed and labor and the production per cow for 
these herds are presented in Table 38. On farms 15, 17, and 21 
the herds consisted of grade and purebred Holsteins and Jerseys. 
The remaining four herds were composed almost entirely of grade 
Shorthorns. The labor includes not only the regular chore hours 
spent in milking, feeding, cleaning barn, and bedding cows, but also 
marketing milk and any special work on cows that is done at irregular 
times, such as caring for a sick cow, buying cows, or testing for 
tuberculosis. The production record is based on butterfat actually 
utilized. It includes butterfat marketed, that contained in milk, 
cream, and butter used in the house, and that in whole milk fed to 
calves. 
Table 38. — Unit requirements per year for a dairy cow, 1921 
Farm No. 1 
Cows 
per 
farm 
Corn 
Small 
grain 
Oil 
meal 
Tame 
hay 
Wild 
hay 
Alfalfa 
Corn 
fodder 
Corn 
silage 
1 
Number 
13.9 
10.4 
9.1 
11.2 
5.7 
8.1 
8.6 
Pounds 
1,133 
181 
407 
650 
422 
1.210 
2.776 
Pounds Pounds 
46 
Pounds 
1,061 
199 
1,424 
433 
Pounds 
Pounds 
Pounds 
1,684 
256 
659 
923 
2.776 
"2," 684" 
Pounds 
8 
169 
5, 495 
9... 
543 
134 
1,729 
367 
832 
"2."720" 
"i."456" 
2.061 
2.440 
6 
1.302 
2,260 
918 
2.916 
17 
15.-. 
50 
233 
""624" 
9,821 
21. 
Average: 
67 cows, 1921...- 
90 cows, 1920 

963 
283 
933 
194 
36 
1 
596 
1.247 
397 
452 
892 
148 
1,217 
709 
2.365 
1,561 
Pas- 
ture 
Total 
grain 
Total 
dry 
rough- 
age 
Labor 
Veteri- 
nary 
and 
medi- 
cine 
MUk 
pro- 
duction 
Butter- 
Farm No. 1 
Man 
Horse 
fat pro- 
duction 
Davs 
229 
264 
229 
201 
211 
182 
171 
Pounds 
1,179 
350 
407 
1,952 
2, 682 
2. 178 
5. 925 
Pounds 
2,745 
455 
2.626 
4.210 
4.505 
1,823 
6. 201 
Hours 
118 
122 
147 
123 
213 
272 
459 
Hours 
2 
25 
3 
""i.V 
2 
35 
Dollars 
0. 12 
""."63" 
1.73 
""".72 
1.37 
Pou nds 
3.198 
3,270 
3. 539 
5, 321 
4. 651 
7. 570 
7. 726 
Pounds 
124 

131 
_. 
g 
132 
208 
17 
217 
LS 
260 
21 
290 
kge: 
. 1921 
90 cows. 1920 
215 
199 
1,932 
tTs 
3,102 
2, 556 
194 
150 
11 
10 
. 66 
.14 
4,841 
3,293 
186 
132 
i order of butterfat production, beginning with the lowest. 
