The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-06-25

ness You find that you can buy cows
from $40 to $500 4 head. you can buy
heifer calves from dairymen and breed
ers at from IS to $500 head, that
will sometimes develop into cows that
will produce from 100 pounds to 1000
pounds OF butter fat year You are
bewildered by the wide range OF prices
You want to know whether there is a
corresponding difference in values
how to get at the real value in dairy
cattle.
Speaking from the commercial stand
point the value of the dairy COW de-
pends upon her ability to produce milk
and butter fat, of the young heifers
by their expected ability which is in
fuenced by the milk yields of their
dams. Hence we Judge by the produce
tive qualities Of the female ancestors
in their pedigree. To guage the value
of dairy heifers we must know what
the cow of the particular family Of the
breed we are considering have done
under favorable working conditions.
To place value upon the bull calves,
says the Indiana Farmer, II we are con
sidering them for breeding purposes,
We must know their dams milk and
butter records as well as the amount
Of feed required to make the records.
HOW TO JUDGE VALUE
Similarly the value of the cows in
the herd must be guaged by perfor-
nance at the pail. If cows have pas
sed through number of years of hea-
| Wy milk production and are on the de-
cline they should be considered large
ly for their value to produce two or
three choice calves. To buy them as
foundation for the commercial dairy
would be a mistake. II Is only in ex-
ceptiOnal instances that a COW has
been fed heavy rations of rich feed will
prove a good Investment in the COM
mercial dairy. On the other hand, a
dairyman with limited means, and who
desires to establish pure bred herd,
may find it advantageous to purchase
few aged cows as foundation stock.
Many an old COW has made money for
her owner but it is probably better to
seek those that are yet in their prime
or just reaching it. They will cost
more money than the older animals,
but they will be worth it in the long
run
Healthy cows-those capable of pro-
ducing from 5000 to 10000 pounds of
milk containing 4 per cent butter fat
are what every farmer must have if
he makes profit from converting his
farm feeds into dairy products. Health
vigor and feeding capacity must be
considered. These are the characteris-
tics that determine the value of the
COW in the commercial dairy.
Now having set forth the character
the commercial dairy is determined
the next problem is to consider how to
determine this value. Necessarily the
items that go to make up the cost OF
production must be analyzed before
the value can be determined.
USE SOME REASONING
Let US do little reasoning. Sup
pose a man wishes to buy cow. Two
are offered him. both 4 years old, and
and which might be serviceabZle for 10
years to come. With the same food
care one will produce $500 lbs of milk
during the year and the other will pro-
dlce 10000 lbs. of equal quality.
What is the comparative value Of
each COW? The difference in prodIc-
ticn is $500 pounds per annum. For
the purpose of calculation we will Cs-
innate the value of the milk at one
dollar Der hundred pounds amount
ing to sixty-five dollars.
Is not the second COW as long as
she holds out as good as the first and
more than one thousand dollars at
six per cent interest besides? If the
first pays for her feed the second
yielding sixty-five thousand pounds
more milk is paying sixty-five dol
lars annually more than the first
and yet how many formars having
two such cows would make more
than from twenty dollars to three
dollars difference in the price?
The actual profits from one COW are
sixty-five dollars year or six hun
dred and fifty dollars during the 10
years besides the interest accumu-
lations. The profits from the other
are nothing.
If the seller was to keep one Of