The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-02-12
THE COMMERCIAL SIDE.
1t Is Not Given Proper COnsfdera tf0n
by the Producers of MILK.

Producers OF milk nave Deen giving
and are now giving too scant consider
alton to the commercial side OF their
business.
In a number Of cases investigated by
an expert for this journal it was re-
vealed that the owners of the diaries
in question were making fair average
of milk per cow at a reasonable aver
age cost, while the net returns from
the milk in no case appeared to nee a
profit
One examination, for instance, show
ed a herd of twentyfour COWS averag-
ing about 2,400 quarts of milk per head
per year The conditions of produc-
ton were handled so we'll as to pro-
duce tiptop milk of richness above the
average.
The owner of the herd calculated his
cost Of production at about 81 cents q
quart for the winter season and at "A
cents for the summer season, meaning
an average Of % cents quart for the
year.
The milk was sold to the city trade,
and for the year 1901 he netted 2.47
cents quart for it, and in 1902 he
netted 2.73 quart for, it, an average
. Of &c cents a quart net for the two
years
| AS his average production cost IN the
| two years was at least go cents O.
quart, the net return of 2.G cents a
quart left him an apparent profit of
.OOO5 cent a quart, or about $3.50 on
the $1,000 quarts sold in each year.
Even that much profit he could not
show, and his conclusion was:
THE best way can figure it, 1 have
of hard work, and if l count a salary
for myself l came out behind to the
extent Of the salary"
He might have added that the man
who does not come out ahead by a good
money margin really comes out behind
for his time is lost
Suppose this man had worked out
the commercial side of his labor of
two years differently. What would
have been his net returns?
His neighbOrS importuned him to
, join them in a cooperative dairy to
make fine butter.
He refused to join them, as he con-
Guided that it was ''easier" to ship
| milk away at a known price.
/ Had he gone in with his neighbors
his milk would have been used in max
ing butter. he would have received the
! full market price current for the but
ter fat in it. and the skim milk used as
feed or sold as casein would have net
ted him a second income.
The $1,000 quarts equal 123,S4O
pounds of milk.
For the milk ne Melted 81, 497 go in a
year
/ The milk he sold averaged over per
cent of butter fat At that rate the
123, $40 pounds of milk contained 6,192
pounds of butter fat
! In the cooperative butter factory that
quantity of fat would have left him
1876 hundredweight of skim milk,
valued at 20 cents hundredweight for
feeding, neat $252.2O returned to him
instead Of being shipped away from
his farm forever
The $255.20 subtracted from the
/ 81, 1876 he received for his entire milk
/ in a year will leave him 1,242.4 40 to
compare with what he would have got
out of his butter fat in the creamery.
| In order to bring the cooperative
creamery return up to his shipping re-
turn his 6,192 pounds Of butter fat
would have had to sell at an average
Of 20 cents a pound during the year
i AS a matter of record in the creamery
books, there was but one month in the
year when the butter fat netted so low
as 20 cents a pound.
During the other months the butter
fat returns ranged from % up to SO
cents a pound.
At an average of % cents a pound
his butter fat would have melted him
$1,362.24, and the $25220 for skim
milk would have made his total net re
turn $1,614.44 against the $1,497.6O lie
received from shipping.-New York
| Farmer