WEEDING OUT THE UNFIT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 790, 13 April 1910, Page 8

WEEDING OUT THE UNFIT.

'■';"./ •COW-TESTING EESTJLTS." The unprofitable cow is the biggest bug- ' fcear. .of jf-he dairying industry in New Zealand. She is to he found.in the great majority:.of the. milking.-herds in' the. cquntTy,-- and , her.'owner, often . goes on milking her- season ■ after' season without knowing.that he reaUy/losing : nioney: ,-oxsr/;tI)5 transaction.''/ Without, a s'ysiteinatio testing of his herd it is impossible fof a farmen to tell' which are the cows that are paying him and ■which are the 1 - difffers;;.; Probably- there is no group of '.mbn-' in .the Dominion Vwho know- more about the'individual merits of their/cows, than'.the 'twenty-four" members" of the' Dalefield -Yield Testing Association.. Nearly' the-whole of them, are how strongly of opinion that cow-testing pays' welL and. is thoroughly worth continuing as a permanent thing.. One member- received a considerable eye-opener with the .'very first'report.- He had been weighing the milk of each cow,every milking time,■ •as is required under the tost, and was lapidly coming to the conclusion that it was high.time to.get rid of one particular cow—a very small milker. In fact, he had"come : to a decision.to take,her to the sale, -but. this. nbt.-being : convenientwhen .arrived :ho let the tow remain on in the meantime. A day or two later came the 'first monthly return for his herd 'with the tests worked out; and the despised'cow w;as found to be giving' such 'a"'., high percentage/of butter-fat: as' to/be.easily the most .profitable milker. In' the.herd. Her surprised owner, thought at.ifirst. that this must.-'bo ,a 'fluke,, but. month' '.-after month': the cow ,' has remained at-the top of the tree..

-...,-■ How the Testing is Done.,;; :.-,'.-'--., ,'.: ■■ •.'; The monthly 'returns of the association' . have -been' regularly,,in. The Dominion, and how. that seven "months of the season have rim.by it is -intere'st-:,";■■•-Snir to look back and{see what the! re-' 1 suit has been to-date. .The! association '..'"..' ,was' formed in 'August last when /Mr. '~ .', Ciiddie and Mr. Singleton, of the Department of Agriculture, attended the an T liu'al meeting'.of the Dalefield' i'- tiye'Dairy Company, and urged suppliers' - -ito.-do- at least one" season's,"experimental ... testing. Of ' the company's; sixty-five sup- • '.■'■ pliers twenty-seven'fell iu with-the idea," ...arid of these twenty-four-have. continued ..the testing .'up ito"date.". The milk,of each cbw.is weighed and entered up morn-, , .ing and. evening. On two days in the• Middle of the -month samples are'iaken : .of.' eachi cow's mirk''at four" consccutivo .'■■'■-'' -millings.. - These are .'. forwarded to the. ... ''Department for '.testing;, arid, frp'm the ■'."■ ■ ;tests ..the averages for each oow, and. each '. ■'.-herd..are worked out: at the: end' of tlie ■ '■- month'. ,A .very fair check on. the experiment is .afforded by the tests and weights' '.y__: taken in-'the .ordinary: way. at' the sac- '■■....- Tory, .and any 'wide .divergence between .-the two sets at once, indicates'that some-, thing is wrong,somewhere. \ On the whole ■' t the testing at Dafeiield nppeafs to have been conducted .'.with /scrupulous cafe-', : fulness by .most .of'the ■suppliers.' . '.;-' .;■ Tho Average Per.,-C6w.''""' V.. V, ■'''",' The average, yield per; month of:',each , ; of;tbe.'69D cows'.which'.'are being'tested ■ works.out as follows :—.'., ;.'.";'.,.' ; , : '^:':// : '' : ': : 'ijfliifc : :.^- ; -.''.?'-Fat'- ; ■•■" ;.'■':' .'•.'.lbs: l .;.T.est.',-V-lbs.'' ■'•■'•" September'' .'■.!...;•„."^910" 3.5.'. 'SL'I'SO , /October 114-1 ' 3.58 41.0' . November ......... 1100 3.58 39.41 December .*.... 1041 .3.75 . - 39.05 '..:■'. January: ........... 853 3.R8 ".'3:J.12 ■'..':: February < :......:;•' 728-' '3.97" * 2'B.S!)! ;• March ....:.. 726 , 4.19 • 30.42 '■';. From this-it yriil be seen'that close on 2501b." of. butter-fat perVcow. has tieen-pro- . du'eed up. to' tliat, the average., should bo rnriningAvell on to 3001b. before' the-season closes. .:■'-.-'' ■ ';■, : lhe Best, Herds.; .. - ; - :-- . ■". Ex'clnding the figures put.up'by a"'herd which has been from'.the test, .. -the ; best herds in :each' month have been ■ the-following:—- ■:.'■ .-- 0::.0'- .■->■'■ .'!■.''.-..-..'... " :-55 '.O •"'?:...:: 'o'.'--.; >-''6-:-'-'■. ■■ v ' .'■-:■.''..- .-'!*■' j? . '■.:" '.' *"• . ,'"' (■' 1: °. ' %X: |j I ' -..•'... « ? . \<s «j.2 <<5 , ,Septembe,-:.,.'. 24 , 30 1138.5 ,3.41 38.83 ■ 'October ':..t.. 20 ' 17. 1315 3.0 : 47.25' (November .: 20 18 1309 .3.64 47.70 ■■■ iDeoembe'r'■:.'. -29 19 1200■-■■''■-'3.94: ; '46.96 ... 'Janua-y.i .'..- 20' 21 -,1028; 3.97 '.40.84 ; jFebruary-::;..20 .22 356: j 4.14: 35.4-! ■• -iMarch •'..;..■.. 14 :'l9' . SOl'-*;'.. 4.13, .37.31 ■.'.' .'The most noticeable feature of the above ;,'. [is. the splendidly consistent performance '.'. |Of Herd No; 20. This.herd,'however,in the March return .only takes fifth place, and jit;.will bo .interesting to see,whether or (not it. succeeds in .pullin^'up'-again this't '-:'-.. |month.,-.-Last moirth the tests .were taken .'; tin a cold'.southerly.snap, which may have- ' iaffected this particular herd moresevcrely Ithan'some-of-the'others. ~•':". "''--. .'Somo Profitable Cows. ■;, Turning! from tho herds to the indi- , Tidual cows, one finds the best perform-ances-in. eaeh'month to have been >' the following:— ; :-.,:... :■:.-.; '. .-■-.- ~'-.: . "".■•;'"'.: : .' Herd Milk' .;- Fat' -'. :"• ..''' .' ' : :- : 'No, :.'lbs. Test. lbs. -. [September;. 8 1312.5 4.2-56.38 October".- ~......... 12 " 1721 3.9 67.12 ..-.November - ...... 7 2093 3.3. 09.07 .December. .' '...... 20 :' 1591 • i.%. 71.39 '... . January:;..■~....:.. .16 ,1372 4.4 60.37 ■',-, ; lebruary:, 20 .1036 . 5.6 58.02 .'.■ iMwch ;.;.,.,..,,„. 10, 1191 "' 4.9 58.51 .: ■ Thus 71.391b: of bntter : fat is the best '■': . performance , put up •'■ this.: season 'during month.' .With ;; butter-fat •■• at . -elevenpence . per.-- lb., this represents:. the (Satisfactory; return of ,dver".';£3 ss. for the ....-[month, from one cow. . .The heaviest ; imilkcr, in.'.'.the test appears ; ,.to be a cow ..,i)n, Herd' No. 26, which has' given, over !2Coolb.' per'-Imonth for ■ '-.threo months, [reaching 22201b. for her January milking. . 'The highest' test shown in the figures so. far available is 5.8, and'-the lowest 2.0. '','. At the OtH.er End. ,^ Wist cow's figures'are as-under (riro-year-old heifers are excluded when taking out the lowest yield in each herd tor. the: month.):— ■■■■.■... ' ;: ' : --: ■■'. ..•:,' Herd '.'Milk'- ' ' Fat. •;, r '■ No. , lbs.',...Test" lbs., September ...,'5 480- '2.4 -11.52 C'ctober''.' ■.■ '..'.' .23 . 682 - 3.0' 2046 ''.November,. '... .. 5.. 420 .. 3.6' " 15.12 December ... 10 ' 58D, : 2.8 16.49 .. JsUnary '/ ;... 7': 41L 3.9' 16.03 February;"... 16 392 ' 3.2 ' VISA ,:■:■■. Marcli';,, ; ... 6 326. 3.5 \ 11.41 .:■"'.,Th'e. smallest yield of milk recorded for .'• any individual cow.sb'far'is 2711b.; which apiount was given-by one cow last.month. t '.'P'neof.tUe herds-which : is being tested, . that , ; pfiV.Mr;.. A; -Enutson;'contains 'no .:: fewer, than'iive cows which haye-produced ; . : over SOOlbr of- aiitter-fa't up to tho end of - Jlarch:.; This is; a splcndi'd)'- perfprmarice.' '.'■■'P.no-"of ■' these' cows', has yielded ■ :•'.,- already :427.251b. of butter-fat,' and' the -'figures-for tho'other four ! -ar0'320.731b5.. '•■'. 322.731b.,.:351'.46ib;, ancK33slb; -'Most of thgsq . milkers are descended:.from a; : cow:.wljich'- -Mr. -Knutsoii',purchased many, years "age, .and.'-'.'milked .regularly .fbr. "'fifteen' jears." Mr. C'•X'airbrotho'i'.'s ..-cows' have-also put up a very credithblo ' performance; ..'.'■''■.'."■ ..,■''-'. '.'."■'"• To Tell,a. Good Milker. ./ ■ Speaking 'to' a Dominion '■ representative recently, :oue of the' members 'of the assßci.at.ion' said the "tests'.'-had confirmed a, previous opinion of'.his' that the surest indication", of a good milker . whs the ■colour of her'skin: A cow that showed a good yellow ground iii' the' ikiri . inside her cars,}behind her foreleg,, and at tho tip' of her tail, could, hardly fail to prove a profitable beast in a dairy herd. So far;as v his own herd went,-the season's testing had confirmed '■' this absolutely and'without exception. Most of tho "Dalriiclil farmers in the : test are : full.v prepared to continue, and ' it is to;bc hoped now that a start has been made'in herd testing the work will be'taken up systematically : in other dairying districts also. What Mr. Hark- -.' liess-sind iii. his paper on.the subject : at ■.. Pa]merstoii in I'JOG still-holds good. The' . proportion of cows that are" useless, and

not actually paying.-for. tho ;food they eat and ,Hie. labour,, that', is expended on them': : is. far too'great./''lt is wonderfully interesting work, this search for knowledge," said Sir. Harkn&p, "and many a bubble will be pric|ed before you get through. Many a favourite cow you thought a wonder will prqyo as* useless as' a -rotten haystack, and a cow for . which * you 'have not limp because of the paleness, of her milk,'will turn out.a'veritable" gold-mine, and not only have, paid her'way but have carried your fancy cow on her back"