BREEDING OF JERSEYS

Chronicle (Levin), 3 April 1947, Page 4

BREEDING OF JERSEYS

Type Must Be Maintained, Says Autkorily In the breeding of Jersey, cattle ■ it was essentiai to maintain, type". It was the foundatiQ'mof. suceessful production, ^and if this policy was ignored you coffid say goqdbye tq fche future purity of-herds,* said a - well-known Jdrsey breeder, Mr. B; G. Morgan, when speaking yesteyday -to members of the Hqrowhenua ' Jersey Cattle Breeders' Club, The occasion was a demqnstration by Mr. Morgan cm'the property of Mr. P. R. Catley, Kuku, Ohau. Mr. Morgan is* a member 'Of the N.p. Jersey Cattle Breeders' Counci|, and is a prominent Taranak'4) breeder and show judge. He has/ had a wide experience with the four main breeds of dairy cows in jhe Dominion. In a demonstration with a young cow he referred to the variou's points it was essentiai to look for in a high class Jersey, and said said that unless these were mamtained in the, policy of the breeders, production would suffer. When pointing out that type was the foundation of sudcessful production, Mr, Morgan said that some cows lacking "in type might be high producers, but could also transmit undesirable characteristics to tne progeny, which would *in 'consequence be inferior animals. In the Jersey qlassificatiQU scheme, cows deficient in type were classified "X," and bulls from these cows were not eligible for registration.

Classification Essentiai It- had been mooted that the Jersey Breeders' Association shoufd have an open herd book, and. the association had been severely criticised for not doing so. . The founders of the association had fought hard to prevent this. In 1930 the ciassification, scheme hqd been introduced, and he considerqd this the finest thing it had done. If an open herd book was adopted, it would mean the in.froductiQn of large numbers of inferior cattle. The work of 60 or 70 years would be wasted. "If we wantf to keep our breed at the top of the list, we will have to prevent any males from X' cattle being registered," he added. "There are 'duds' in every herd and these will have t.o be taken out. In the interest of the younger breeders, we should make it our ' responsibility to get them the very best, and thus keep the breed on top." Mr. Morgan said he was a film believer in the Jersey, and placed it first for efficient production of high grade milk, In his. opinion the Jersey gave a' greater return per acre than any other cow. He quoted figures to show that in the Jersey ciassification list the highest grade for type had, under official test, also the highest average butter-fat. prQduqtiqn. He added that in his experience the show awards almost . invariably weht to the cows with outstanding butterfat records. Thus, type could be taken as a reliable index of a eow's merit. Choosing a Sire Breeders should pay more atteption to the choosing of a sire, contended Mr. Morgan. It was the maker or breaker of a herd. "If you are going to breed pedigree cattle, see that the sire is right." It took thjee years to discover the merits" or demirits of a bull, and an inferior animal could set a herd back several years. He advised farmers not only to study sale catalogues, but also to visit the farm from wnioh it was intended to buy the bull, and inspect not only the bull, but the whole herd from which it came. Mr. Morgan said he was not in favour of breeding too closely, prefering line breeding. , During the coprse of his address, ■Mr. Morgan said the Jersey Cattie Breeders' Association was first formed in 1902, there being then about 39 members. The Jersey was.referred to as the "Little Rat," and fche breeding of it a hobby for the wealthy. Since then the membership had rjsen to its present figure of close on 2800. It was not, until 1910 that real progress was made. It was then that testing started, and in 1930 the association had started o.n the ciassification scheme. The breeders of today owed a debt of gratitude to those who had pioneered these measures. They had resulted after tremendous opposition. It was the responsibility of members to maintain Lne standard of Jersey herds, not only out of respeet for the early pionsers, but in the interests of the dairy industry of New Zealand. Prior to Mr. Morgan's address, members were taken on a condue.t3d tour Qf Mr. Catley's herd, and at mid-day- lunch was provided by che women present. The speaker was introduced -by fche Horowhenua Club's president, Mr. I. D. Parsons. An apology was received from Mr. J. Dawick, secrefcary of the N.Z. Jersey Cattle Breeders' Assoeiation, who was unable to attend. 1 At the conclusion of the address, ti afternoon tea was served, affcer f whieh Mr. Parsons thanked the speaker for his helpful advice and fche ladies for servipg lunch and afternoon tea. - •