Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1901-06-06
IMPROBABLE COWS
MAY WIPE OUT PROFITS OF MORE
VALUABLE ANIMALS.

Opinions of Experts From the Nari-
Gus Experimental stations - Cows
Must Make Two Hundred Pound. of
Butter Year to Pay.
In these days of close competition II
Is very necessary for a dairyman to
know the producing nature OF each in
diyidual of his herd. says ID. w. May
in American Agriculturist. An unprot-
liable COW. while causing a loss. may
wipe out the profits of Il more valuable
animal. Some results Of the herd rec
ords ut various experiment stations
may prove Of value 10 tie butter maker
Ey pointing out errors TO be guarded
against.
At the Ohio station experiments on
the production of milk show that with
the same food and under the same
treatment one cow may transform into
butter an amount of fat equivalent TO
all that is found in the food. Another
| may supplement this with fat previous
ly stored up in the body, and still an
other may convert into butter other
constituents of the food than its fat,
| while others may divert the fat of the
food into a formation of body fat rath-
or than butter.
I The Connecticut station at Storrs ad-
vises farmers to make a close study of
the individual cows Of their herds and
to reject the Improbable ones. The
value Of cows can be easily and cheap
ly studied by the use of the Babcock
| milk test. together with daily weigh
ings of the milk. The Pennsylvania
station suggests applying the feed test
| to each animal, as we'll as the butter
| test. and wedding out those animals
| that do not make n satisfactory return
| for the food consumed.
The Cornell station found that in gen.
| eral the cows consuming the most food
produced both milk and fat at the low
| est rate. The Minnesota station states
4 that the best cows, the annual butter
product of which exceeded 40 per cent
/ of the live weight, were small or medi-
um in size. although good ones were
| found among TIE larger cows. At the
| Vermont station usually the cows CIV
\ ing the most milk and butter made it
most cheaply, aad those giving the least
| milk or butter made il at the greatest
| cost. AS a general rule the COWS max
Y ing the most butter were the most eco
nomical producers. The larger cows
| which ranked wei in gross amounts OF
! butter graded lower in most cases in
| economy Of production. while the small
er cows which stood near the head In
[ amount of butter made did not lose
| rank In the matter OF cheap manufac-
| ture.
| The Indiana station calls attention to
I the Importance Of the selection OF cows
in relation to the mammary gland.
| While constitutional vigor and digest
| i've capacity should always receive first
consideration. the breeder of dairy cat
tie cannot afford to breed inferior I'D
ders any more than can breeder of
trotters afford to breed slow gated ami
mails.
At the New Jersey station the best
cow paid for her feed and S46.64 In adj
dition to skimmilk and manure. while
S5.S4 represents the pay received for
the poorest COW. There is but little
profit derived from a COW that does
not produce 200 pounds OF butter per
Il
butter dairy is necessary. The Mime
sofa station found that the average an
nual cost of keeping dairy cow is S3S.
A he'd Ct cows bred on dairy lines, well
fed and carefully handled. will produce
on an average G.400 pounds of milk per
year at a cost of CO cents per loo
pounds and 1919 cents per pound for
butter fat. They will produce on an
average 300 pounds OF butter fat pei
year, which is equivalent to 3G5 pounds
OF butter per COW. The average cost OF
pound OF butter will be 10la cents.
The Ohio station states that when
fed Il ration composed of about one
fifth to one-fourth grains and the re-
mainder coarse foods of good quality
our cows and those of several other
stations have produced an average OF
about 3D. pounds of butter fat to each
100 pounds OF dry matter I'm the food
besides making Il small gain In live
| weight. In general when this rate OF
production OF butter fat has been ex.
ceeded there has been loss in weight
and when the butter fat has fallen be-
low this rate there has been a gain In
live weight. Exceptions to this gener-
al rule show that while some COWS may
return a handsome profit OH their food
others may be fed at an actual loss
even when both butter fat and increase
of live weight are counted at full value
At the Michigan station the cost OF but
ter varied with different cows from 81
to 16 cents per pound and the net profit
per year from SG0S to S94.05. The cows
giving the greatest net profit were the
three COWS consuming the most feed.