Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 356

The average annual yield of milk of 45 cows was 3,720 litres per cow, the maximum yield 6,500 litres and the minimum yield 2,800 litres. The percentage of fat fluctuates between 4.3 to 3.6. The experiments demonstrated the advantages of pure breeding, although the calves born from cross-breeding with Dutch bulls are proving satisfactory. The conclusions drawn from the breeding experiments are that the Swiss cows can stand the Palestinian climate, that they yield a satisfactory average of milk, and that it is advisable to continue importing Swiss cows in smaller numbers if the price does not exceed that of the first batch imported. 6. The Income of the Cow-shed. The income of the cow-shed consists of the sale of milk, cattle for meat, calves and manure. The main item of income so far is from the sale of milk, as the manure is needed for the fodder and hay fields of the settlement itself, and the sale of cattle for meat is rare, that is, only in cases of old age and sterility. On the other hand, the sale of calves is more frequent in some settlements, for instance in Kfar Ezekiel, Merhavia, Balfouria and Nahalal, and the prices which they fetch are quite good. However, the tendency is growing in the settlements to expand this farm branch further, and the settlers are therefore reluctant to sell their calves. Hence the only income from the cow-shed for the time being is from the sale of milk. The total milk produced in 5694 in the Keren Hayesod settlements was 8,284,671 litres, which realised an income of £ P. 113,084.330. This includes milk for home needs and for breeding. The average net price per litre which the settlers received was 13.65 milles. The prices vary according to the zones, from 10 to 18.3 milles, and the settlements in the vicinity of Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv always receive 3-4 milles net more per litre than those in the Emek, as the latter have to bear the extra cost of refrigerating and transport. Generally speaking, the income from milk production has increased, and this fact is noted especially in Kfar Ezekiel. The sixty families of this Moshav produced last year 650,000 litres of milk, or an average of about 11,000 litres per family per annum. Thanks to the increase in production and a rise in price, this branch has become self-supporting and quite profitable during the last two years. The following list shows the income and expenditure in the Kvutzoth for the year 1933/4. 356