BUSINESS-LIKE DAIRYING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1187, 24 July 1911, Page 8

BUSINESS-LIKE DAIRYING.

SYSTEMATIC COW-TESTING. • THE ASSOCIATION MOVEMENT. The testing, of the yields of cows lias been practiced in.dairy countries in some form or. other for year.?, and-.for many years progressive, dairymen have been trying to improve their herds. Ono of the earliest means adopted was the recording of the. quantity of milk given by every cow'. The system of paying for milt according to its "test" .brought : about th&. system of taking records of the butter-fat content: of tho milk as well bs of the quantity and assessing the valua of tho yield accordingly. The first cowtesting association in Xew Zealand was formed in 1909, but for several years prior to this a few methodical dairymen had been testiiis their herds in si very satisfactory manner and with good results. An outcome of their testing was the weeding out of non-paying, cows. As tho unprofitable cows were ejected and profitable cows were'put in their places tho factory cheques wero swelled, and gradually 'herds of great value were built up. i.The Dalefield Experiment. These examples brought: the work of ' systematic' testing strikingly under notice, lend in August, 1909, the first cow-te=.ing i association was formed. The dairy division of tho Department ot Agriculture established the association, and managed •it. Tho place chosen- was Dalefield, one 'of the best-known factories in tho great cheese centre of the "tt'airarapa. llie nssociation was worked on the- lines' of the Canadian associations. About 800 cows were entered,, nnd the officers of the Department conducted a monthly test, throughout the reason. Some of tho results disclosed by tho tests ' were • cye••op'e'nors..to. even, ..flic . best:: dairymen,,and this fact made all interested wonder how i far tho dairyman's judgment of cows could be relied on. The Departmental officers put the dairyman's judgment to the test. They asked tho members of , tho Dalefield Association to send in tho names iof their, eight best cows. Some of'these farmers selected cows as being amongst their first eight, which they afterwards •culled from tho herd. Almost every member of the association received surprises vh*n the results were made knowii. Last Ssacon's *Work. i Last season, the Department extended I the movement.' It was generally underl stood tliflt' tho policy was to establish associations in a few centres and run them on proper Jines for a couple, of seasons, but that thero was no intention .of doing so any longer than was necessary to set tho farmers an example worth following; it was expected of farmers that' they would form and conduct their own associations once tho Department proved to them the necessity for and tho value of them. .In tho 1910 season Daleifield wns conducted again under the direction of'the Department, and new asjeociations were established at Kaupoko-i-jini (Taraunki), Stratford (Taranaki), and Cambridge (Waikato). Tho Kaupokonui Association was , the h'rst of the now ones. On August 19 a meeting of suppliers was addressed by Messrs. D. Cuddie and W. jl. Singleton, , and twenty-sax :bf the-sup-; (pliers who attended promised to support tho proposal to start an association. A I total of 1031 cow-s was entered right away, Snnd the number was subsequently increased to 2000.

There is'ample evidence that the cowtesting movement is in good favour among farmers, and that it is likely to expand. For iiie last several months the Department has received from.various parts of the Dominion requests to address farmers on tho matter-to establish and conduct asiociations. ..' . , .

The Present Basis. . ' It is in view of this thai' the bajis on ; which societies will bn subsidised is especially interesting. The basis is set out . -officialy as follows:—" :■ 1. No association is to be subsidised by the Department for more than : two. years. 2. The number, of associations to bo subsidised at any given time is to be as ninny as the number of available instructors will admit of. At the present time this number is six. 3. As soon as each association has been subsidised for two years its : place is to be filled by another association, to bo chosen according to circumstances. i. In addition to this subsidising ■ of ft few associations, the Department will assist by means of advice, and a ' little practical help at tho beginning ' > as many other associations as settlers arc willing to form. Note.— "Sabsidiss" as used herein means that the Department gives the services of a dairy instructor for organising tho association and for testing the samples throughout tho seaeon'; works out and publishes the results; and provides free tho necessary forms, glassware, acid, etc. This year the Department withdrew from I'ho control of tho Dalefield Asso-

ciation, and it is understood that the J movement is to be continued and it is i probable that the suppliers, of several other factories will join in. New associations will be established by the Department at Stirling (in. the South Is,land) ami Whangarci (in North Auckland). Kaupokonni, Stratford, and Cambridge are to be kept going as last year, but after this season they will have to :Tim their own associations, except that 'they will always be able t'o look to the Dairy Division for* advice. iTho Cost to the Farmer, The items which the dairy farmer, 'joining these associations, isasked to furbish are sample-bottles with brass bands (ono for rauh cow), a spring balance, a eampling-dipper, and a box in which to deliver tho samples to the testing-depot. I'or a herd of forty cows, the approximate cast will be—forty bottles with brass bands (and freight) at, say, 3d., 10s.; Jne Fiimpling-dippcr, (id.; one spring balance (strong and tested), Bs. (id.; ono box for families, i-ay, 75.; total, £1 Gs.; or about Bd. por cow for tho iirst year, and nothing additional lor succeeding years save . breakages. Willi smaller herds, tho cost por cow would be slightly higher, since the price of the balance and dipper would bo divided amongst the smaller number. . Associations which are conducting their operations independent of the Department will have to have a man to do the testing. If several factories continued ono man could be fully occupied in this work alone and if there was a large number of members the' expense to each would bo small. The records could be worked 1 out in the secretary's office probably at little extra cost, to that branch of the company. Jn tho caje of tho Ngaere (Taranaki) factory tho manager {"Mi. C. Robertson) did the work of testing and generally conducting the association without charge, and the only cost to the company was that of certain extra assistance in the factory work. There aro various ways of arranging the matter and the way chosen wil.l probably he. regulated by. the number of member's in Ihe association.