BREEDING FOR MILK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 44, 15 November 1907, Page 2

BREEDING FOR MILK.

THE MISSING RECORDS. .WHY DON'T FARMERS TEST?, Amongst the small group of workers who are making systematic efforts to establish herds of.dairy cattle that truly deservo to bo called pedigreo milkers must bo counted thb staff of Lincoln Agricultural College, Christchurch. It is the practice on that farm to keep regularly a record of tho milk yields and tho butter-fat percentage of the cows of the Shorthorn herd—tho herd with which tho College lias won show prizes. _ Included in the herd is a cow that has given- from 240 to 3001b. of butter-fat in tho year. Speaking of tho work of grading up, tho Collego director, Mr. W. Lowrio, said: "It is a iong slow process; but it would becomo quicker if tho keeping of records wero to become general throughout tho Dominion, so that we could get new blood without incurring the danger of having our good work undone by tho introduction of a bull of a poor milking strain. It is practically impossible to get a record of the milking and butter-fat yields of tho dam in tho pedigreo of any young bull. There is room among tho dairy-farmers for a very long step forward in that direction."' i In Canada, they have testing associations? "Yes. My idea of the best way to secure the keeping of records is to establish among the dairy-farmers testing associations such as wero established four or five years ago in thb West of Scotland among the Ayrshire breeders. That association resulted in promoting a very beneficial practice of testing, and in affording valuable information to tho dairy-farmers. I would bo very glad to see such associations formed all over Now Zealand."