FINDING THE COW THAT PAYS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1068, 6 March 1911, Page 8

FINDING THE COW THAT PAYS.

ASSOCIATION TESTS,

This year particulars of tho results shown by the Cow-testing Associations are not being published in the daily press a's was the caso respecting the Dalefield Association last year. Therefore an article, on the progress of tho associations, by Air. W. Al. Singleton (tho assistantdirector of ..the dairy produce division) in this month's "Journal of tho Department of Agriculture/' is particularly interesting. •

Mr. Singleton says that the four associations established' under tho auspices of- the' Department have been running 6mobthly since the beginning of the dairying season. In all tho records of somo 3745.c0ws are being compiled. Tho members get a return which shows what each', cow. in his herd produces in a thir.tfcday period,- and the return further 6ho.\ys .what each cow has to her credit from the date of calving to the end of tho' period, covered by' tho return.' "The range of. variation in'production is, large (Mr. Singleton'says) and not only doe's" this apply to individual cows, buc dt.'applics to herd-averages for each period as. well. Fdr four periods totalling 120 days, the production of the best herd of. 1 these-, four associations is '16151b. milk and'lßff.G4lb, fat. Tho average production of. tho poorest herd for the corresponding period is 26211b. milk and 9C.651b. fat. This is' a wide variation, and indicates that' poor cows are being 1 kept, for even in; the poor herds there aro some fair cows which" help' the "average, and would produce exceedingly well with better and care. - The average cow of all fear associations for 120 days produced 36131b. milk and 132.381b. fat. In the first test: At Dalefield, 22 cows of best herd produced as much"as 3S of the worst, herd; at Stratford, 20 cows of best herd produced as'much as 41 of worst herd; at Cambridge, 25 cows of best'herd produced as much, as 42 of worst herd; at Kaupok'oniiL 21' cows of best herd produced as much as 45 of worst herd.-

: Each successive test has confirmed such variations as these. ■ It shows that in the poorest herds, speaking approximately, two cows are being fed and milked for the. total butter-fat produced by one cow in the best herds. The gross return of'tho poorer cows is only one half, biit the net return will be much less, as the.' total charges for two cows must he deducted from the gross returns in one '.case, whereas thoso of only one cow are .to' be deducted 'in the other case. "It will- he admitted that the yields ■oi the herds vary considerably, and there .is, of course, some ground's for expecting i certain variations in this respect. Some of, this variation "is due to the variable .percentage of heifers in the herd. Some sof it is also due to the pasturage. Hbw- ■ eycr, the condition of the pastures as well as the quality of tho cows reilects to a great extent on tho farmer who has .been in- chargo of them for.'some time. A good man may get possession of a farm which requires much improvement. muT for a time .results, as'.determined by the production of tho cows, may not . be a true criterion of his ability as a dairy-farmer. However, some farmers under such circumstances .have, by devoting their attention to getting a portion of the farm in good condition, been able' •to-make solid progress and do good work from an early date. Some of our best ■rtcords for the average- cow of tho herd -have oomo- from such farms. "The real difference between individual cows .is'not so well' disclosed in nerd-averages, where at times many circumstances must be taken into consideration, as it is when comparing the production of cows of approximately the same ago m the same herd which are 'getting the same kind of feed and attention. A- few figures :will illustrate what 'variations.occur even in a portion of the peason. These will evidence wider variV tian at tho end of tho lactation period; ' -. _ Value at lid. Age. ■>- Days F a t. per pound. . .lears. in milk. lb. £*■&■■■ I 204 ' 128.3!) • 518 3 7 113 207.57 9 10 .1 « ' Ho ■ 169.06 715 6 11 107 ' . . 98.7S i 8 8 10; 143 ■ 210.03 »is io 11 47 , 141.00 fi .9'3 ' • 1° HO. 230.67 10 11 5 v -, 8 '.-148 : 145,71) 613 7 8' 147 235.93 10 i 6 3 . ? 148 120.30 510 4 '■ * J*-; 158.03- 74 10 . i 143 119.24 5 9 3 l\ the flrst . herd i(: will be noted that the owner milked one cow 204 £ y io f °T n »! k °f a money value of only ■:*& lbs. 3d., where as another cow in the same herd was milked only 143 Mays for m,l 'L Vfll !!?d 10s. 3d.-sixty.one days or 122 milkiugs, less, and still more money to the extent of £3 12s. Further, the „«;£ r »T h ™ h , een mi , lkinK ° n! . v "bout one-half her total period. She will have ; rnnch more to her credit at'tho end of the season..' Both cows are at an age when ,%y_ sbould.be at their best, and both are in the same herd."