JERSEY FIELD DAY

Chronicle (Levin), 22 March 1946, Page 4

JERSEY FIELD DAY

ftrtwteia Breeders' Club • TALK BY MR. B. M0RELAND At a field day held yesterday on the property of Mr. A. Hprn, Heatherlea, a gathering of apprpximately ,50 Jersey brgeders was tpeated to an instructive ,and $esoyip.tjve .demofis.tnat.ipn by Mr. B.* Moreland, .of • Cambridge!, on fhe ^ ppipts pf a Jersey cow. y Following a light luncheon p.rovided by the ladies, Mr. I. D. Rarsons, president of the Horowhenua Jiers,ey Cattle Breeders' Club, welconied Mr. Moreland on behalf of the club. He said they felt honpured to ihave such .a^thority address them. Mr. -Parsons expressed • "the 'ciubJs desire to have Mr. Moreland refur.n .at -a later date to repeat the demonstration to those who weye unfortunate enough not to be present. In repfy, My. Moreland said that thb matter about to be discussed wtas a yitally jmpbrtant one. He had . heen a Jersey breeder for many years, and had keenly followed pther .breeders' methods. Breeders who thought solely of production forg9.t that the stock could not stand up to the wear and tear and •dise.ase. Continuing, the speaker said that fhe parts he would mentipn -were in di-rect heari-ng with the -production of -the dairy cow. The rnain feature was constitution, for without constitution no cow wpufd be of :any use pr a pr,ofit to the .owner. The. head pf the be.ast was a good mirror of its constitution. It should display a large and open nostril, the . pigger and rounder the better for ' the intake of air. The bottom j,aw should haye a strong arch, with a large, broad muzzle. That enabled the cow to ffil to papacfty in* as xhort ,a time as possible and then nest, an important ' factor in production. The eye was perhaps the finest indication ' of constitution, Shd jt should be full and placid. The hOfns were a minor feature, b,ut wpre an indication of the bone Strucfcure. A medium length of head,. .followed by a comparing length in the neck. and on- throughput the length of' the cow, was essential. A round and heavy boned cow was a great producer and a ffat, .clean hard bone. was essential for fhe health of the cow. The shoulders should be light and fhe ribs, amply sprung .and wide apart, giving a wedge shape. A straight, strong and prominent spinal pro- • cess gaye the loins strength, for the average dairy cow ate approximately one cwt. of grass a d,ay. Broad and strong *loins and prominent. hip bones, wide apart, added further strength for the cow to parry fhe body. A high and brpad thurl bone, with a rump long to fhe tail setting and level from hips to tfxe pins, enabled the cow to carry a greater uader. T-he thighs flat and v/ide apart gave room for the udder, which should be fleshle.ss. The legs built in proportion to the beast were usually wide apart, but not too wide as the cow was liable to weave when walking. • The tendens and .muscles of the cow's feet- should be strong pr else the a.nim.al wo.uld walk on its heel. A thin, plia,ble , •hide, which had' soft, silky hair, was a good indication of the dairy ability of the cow. Milk vejns large, lengthy and tortuous, also indicafed a good producing cow. The tail nicely set in the pin bones added to the cow's attraction. In answering questions, Mr. Moreland gave some interesting details. ; He pointed out the three wedges in i a cow and also explained that the numb.er of ribs often varied. In some beasts there was an extra short rib in the back. When a tasty afternoon tea had been dispensed with and the gathering 's photo taken, Mr. Parsons thanked Mr. Moreland for his very interesting talk and description of the different parts of the cow which had been made plain. In conclusion, Mr. Parsons thanked Mr. Horn for the use of his property and herd, and aho Mrs. Horn and her lady ^ helpers for the lunch and afternoon tea. (Acclamation) .