WHERE THE PROFIT LIES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 795, 19 April 1910, Page 8

WHERE THE PROFIT LIES.

' : ; :: y ; :/DAIRY-COW. FIGtTRES. ' ■ V. ; In The Dominion last week it was "re- '"■•; -corded that five of .If r. A. Knutson's -;; cows, entered in the'Dalefieldherd-testing "had given'over 3001bs. ;; of butter-fat apiece..np to the. end of March'. -The average //dairy- cow. in New••.Zealand■ gives about y,2Oolbs.' of/bntter-fnt: ./This season has ; :.leen.'a.particularly 'good;one .from the .'dairying point of 'view'rind it is a fair //thing to put. the average, yield (at about :/2251b5. Mr. Knntson's: five cows, with . «ii or seven weeks, of-'the season still : to run, had the following' yields, to their ;.' credit up to March :31 :-427.251b5., :'■- : 320.731b5., 322.731b5., J 351.4G1b5., and 3351b5. ■ With butter-fat at a- shilling ;.a pound '■'■.'this means thnf, the average cow produces, ■I'JtXL ss. in'.the season, whereas Mr. Knut- ( ;, -jon's best.'■ has'. already, returned ■on the ■ .'same'basis £31 Is.-'. Tho fighres thus .'show a clear gain of nearly 50 per cent. : when looked at in this light. As a matter of fact' tho relative 'profit -is very ■ much greater. :To find out what the ■ difference'is it is'necessary to allow for ■ the capital outlay on the cow,-the rent- • ing cost of the cost of milkZing and so on; At the 1900 meeting of .-the National Dairy Association the neces- :" eary/,data'.wens,"carefully worked out in 'a'paper read -by- 'Mir: D. Ci C. Gebbio of -Tβ ■ Eoti,-Taranaki.: r ' ■ . .'■' fWe. can safely assume," said Mr. Gebbie, "that land valued at J25-:-an -, acre, should be capable of grazing one cow , v to.two acres, with,the assistance of extra Vinjjiter feed; and that-the. average cost '. or a herd of dairy., cows would bo about .' w£G -10s. per. head. . On this basis the . tposition. presents itself something. like ■;< this: '5 per cent, on ".the capital;, value ! '■".. of 'such land is- 255.' per acre -in the' , , .'shape of rent, to which must be .added v rates, taxes, and insurance, amounting . *to quite 2s; 6d. per aero/so that we have a . iprimary.- , cost of grazing alone of X 2 los. . iper head. Interest on \ capital:, invested •hn cows (£6 10s. per head):at 6 per cent. , ia 7s. 9d.; depreciation -of the dairy,herd- ;' may at the least' be put ■. down at 10 v per cent., equalling 13s. per head.". The '.cost, of wintering, cows,, either' by' growing winter feed .or by grazing out, 1 may Yjbe estimated at another ss. per head, !*o- that ■Wβ have, an .absolute: charge to ';the-owner.of a-dairy herd of. J!4.os. 9d., ; or,'say,/.£4; per.,head, without allowing 'anything, at all for labour. . "Tor. argument's .sake," continues Mr. ■Gebbie,, "I think .to-:may "take it,.'that ;ito a.man capable of milking tv:enty, cows a :at a meal,:the' wage; would not be. less - !tthan .203: .per. week, with board added, ;: eay,' another; Bs., or. a total of . £72 per ■; year,'which gives. ue an average cost per Jcow.'of £3 125,;,f0r. labour alone. Adding :'ito. the cost, at] labour-,the coet. of keepSing th« cow, .we have thus to; obtain'-a' /■return of, £7- 12s. per year before'a cow i.'is profitable under., present., conditions; .and please bear in mind that it is ■'. eary for the. worst cow in the. shed to. ;.. mate herself'.payable. .It.; must.not. be '■" thought that if :a herd .were on these' /conditions to average £,1 12s. per , ;head,. -■. [that "all were payable', for if none of them '/did-better than, that .many would have been milked at an actual loss.". ■ ./ y. Land values, etc.," have ■altered /since ":, Mr. Gebbio wrote his' paper, ■ but' ;,rhe -leader can easily mako tie necessary, cor- ;. Tections in- the figures, to correspond' with' -the conditions' in ihis.locality.; - Taking' .•: them as. they stand, they. show, the rela-i-tiye. profitableness of the J average : dairy :'■- cow. and-Mr. Knutson's'coiy-to bo. as follows:— :" ■•..' ';., . -.■.•.-■.- '■'. :, .■'-■■■■■' ■' ; : . '■,- '-"J :""-.'"-■' :.;i'..';.".!•;. 'Average/Knutson ■ : -".:''.-.■'- •-. " ••■ .: ;; '■--..'■.„■' cow.'. .'■;'■ cow; ■' ',"•;.■;.•.■-■ . :■ :?::, (2251b.: (4271b/. ~"-■■■;, -'"-.. („■ , . : .-■■■■■ butter- butter- "-'..:'.: . ..■; , '"--..'.-/-,--*;:r'''. - '',-.-fat,)->.,'-.-.fat.):c :-'. : ;;;. : ■ , ' £ s. d. w-.Viirue'of yield' at 12d.: : . i ' ■'■ . per lb. ..;>.:...:..... 11 5 0' 21.7 0 'Less cost as above .... .712 0 .-;■ 7 12 '0 ;:,'i; ! ; . ■ V:- 1 ' ; ; 'j£3 13 0 JEI3 15 0. : ■'. Mr.; Knutson-'s one cow, with its un- : ;':', finished,'season,;.therefore brings in. very' ■ I nearly as much-clear profit as four aver'lage cows would do in This Mis.: one of the" things the Governmeni '^ierd-testing , has : demonstrated '.to., tho :.dajry7farniers-:of Dalefield.'- In.'time,-.no /'doubt, farmers-in other districfe will find thet it-is well .worth while by individual /testing .to diecover such gold mines as, ; . this... ■ ■ ■■..' ;- : ;.' ['■•- ■-■-'■ ' . ■'