Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-07-31
The Difference In Dairy Herds.


The Difference In Dairy Herds. !
We have from time to time called
the attention of our readers to facts
that have been established by very
thorough investigation of the herds
Of individual farmers and of those
at experiment stations, usually that
the profit Of the dairy herd is furn-,
ished by comparatively few cows;
and it is fair conclusion that in
every herd in which the milk has
not been weighed and tested there
are more OF less dead beat boarders,
who have fine appetites but pay no
bills; that another considerable per-
cent pay the cost of keep and no
more; while a few, more or less,
according to the care with which
the herd has been selected. furn-
ish a handsome profit. We feel al
most ashamed to repeat this again,
but we suppose we will have to keep
on repeating until at least fair per
cent of the readers of Wallaces,
Farmer have sufficient faith in our
teachings to weigh their milk and
test their milk by the Babcock test,
and thus find out for themselves.
Professor Frazer, chief of, the
dairy department of the University
of Illinois, has made test of two
herds kept in the same locality in
the state. The first herd was COM
posed of cows picked up here
and there at moderate prices. They
produced through the year eighteen
cans of milk to forty6ve cows, or
2.5. cows to can (eight gallons)per
day. The second herd produced at
the rate of five and one-third cans to
thirty-four cows, or GA COWS to the
can per day. When milk sells at
the rate of $l.l5 per 100 pounds,
the average cow in the better herd
produced 29.5 cents worth of milk
per day, or $3.50 as the total for
ten months. The poorer herd pro-
duced ll.5 cents worth of milk per
day per cow, and $34.5O for the
year.
The station says: " If it costs $32
per head for feed in the poorer herd
just 2.5O per head is left as the
profit for one year. But if the bett-
er hard is fed at $40 per COW it
leaves $4S so per head as profit.
Here is a difference of$46 in clear
gain" On this basis it takes nine
teen cows Of one kind to equal one
COW Of the kind. 1t would take l,52O
cows of the poorer kind to equal
eighty of the better herd.
The average COW in the best herd
made an annal income of SS7.54,
and if it cost $40 for feed there
is a years profit of $47.54. The
average COW in the poorest herd
made profit of $35.5l and and at
cost of $1,000 for feed there
was o profit $3.5l. Here is a diff
erence in profit of $44.O3 per COW.
On this basis it takes 1875 COWS of
one kind to make their owner as
much profit as one of the other kind.
1t would require lS5 COWS like those
in the poorer herds to make profit
$1,000 a year., and only twenty-five
cows like those in the best herds to
make the same profit.
The difference would be far more
striking if the best COW in the best
herd was compared with the poor
est COW in the poorest herd. In
fact, we suspect that if these COWS
were tested individually it would be
found that one-third of the COWS in
the poorest herd was kept at an &C.
tual loss, one-third at no profit while
the entire profit would be made by
the best third.
The station has tested eighteen
dairy herds in another part Of the
state. The average production OF
the six best herds was 2SO.5 pounds
Of butter fat per COW, and of the
poorest six herds l72.7 pounds
Counting the butter fat at rs cents
per pound, the best herds made an
income of $70.l3 per COW and the
poorest $43.lS, an average differ.
ence of $26.95 per COW. This
would amount to $l,35O.5O yeal
in a herd Of fifty COWS.
These are two instances but in
every case where herds have been
tested in any neighborhood in any
state in the union like results have
followed. 1t is work of this kind
done by the stations that tells, pro.
vided the farmer would read study
mediate, and then go to the small
expense of getting a pair of scales
apiece of paper and pencil, and a
Babcock test, and find out lus
what they have.
How to remedy it? First fine
out what cows are dead beats, anc
get them off to the butchers as soor