HERD-TESTING.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1373, 26 February 1912, Page 8

HERD-TESTING.

RECORD OF PRACTICAL EXPEim^VCK

An interesting record of practical experience ol' herd-testing is contributed lo the February issue of the "Journal of the Department of Agriculture," b.v Jlr. Thos. M'Phillips, of Manaia. The story runs as under:— "I started testing my herd wheu the Dairy Division of the Agricultural Department, opened the Cow-testing Association'lit'lvuupokonui at tho beginning of tho season a year ago. At tho end of the .season I was surprised to find how little 1 knew about my most profitable cows. This was illustrated by a choice of my eight best cows, which I made.at the Department's request at the beginning of the first testing season. I picked good cows, but not the best, as one of the eight I picked gave only 2901b. butter-fat for the season; and yet 1 bad in my herd sixty-two cows which save over this quantity. One cow in the herd was not selected, although up to the end of the season (July) sho was (he best cow in the herd, and produced over 5071b. of butter-fat. "The records of seventeen of the best cows aTe as follow. — ° r of ■ Milk. Fat. T' . .... IWTB »& ■•) 11,740 507.10 ,1 ....... 10,139 438.53 .( V;. 11,723 432.33 5 12,012 423.39 G .".' 12-1 M *23.19 7 8,175 414.81 8 • 8,670 W5.12 q 9,:ll)9 402.80 10 11,274 390.00 n '" 10,333 384.50 ' v> " .. 5,640 .189.41 13 - "'.'.'.'... --10,468 552.90 ji, 5,60!) asn.no 15 ' ... 8,821 373.33 is ;;;;;; 7,835 skut 17 ■ 7,095 303.52 Average:' 99071b. milk, 417.6911). Fat. "The figures for 17 cows culled out as a result of tho testing are given below:— Milk. Fat. No lb. lb. "l 6,037 227.H8 2 6.810 224.7!) ;i 5,056 '-•'■!■-- 4 0,173 222.22 r, 6,537 219.31 G ' R.615G 212.61 7 r,,819 212.32 8 5,967 205.02 3 5,916 199.62 I 10 " 4,103 194.50 u 4,460 166.23 !•? ' 5,370 1C1.98 lij "" ;" 5,065 158.09 If ~-.... 4,657 351.81 15 ... ■ 4,450 140.45 1C ....J 3.270 . 8G.72 17 2,062 50.73 Average, 52901b. milk; 132.821b. fat.

"The average yield of 17 best cows was 99071b. of milk, "and 4181b. fat; the average yield of 17 cull cows was 52901b. of milk and 1831b. of fat; the average of the herd of 1.17 cows and heifers was 7G471b..0f milk and 2951b. of. fat; the average of the herd (without those culled cows out) was 80641b. milk and 3151b. of fat. ' •

'Loss From Milking Culls. "A point to which I wish to draw attention is this: For years I have been milkins some cows which', as the result of testing, have now beeu culled out. Cows Nos. ■ 14. and 16 wore milked for seven years, and, although fairly good cows, are now discarded. Had I had my heard tested seven years ago, and culled out these 17 cows, and replaced them with others equal to the average of my herd, my savings would be figured somewhat as follows:—The average cow without tho culls gave 3151b. fat; the average cow of those culled gave 183lb. fat. The difference is 1321b. fat per cow for one year. For 17 ,cows for one year this loss of butter-fat would amount to 22441b., which, at nn average price of Is. per lb. equals .£ll2 4s. For seven years it would amount (o ,£785 Bs. Supposing that to do the weighing and sampling I Jiad even engaged an extra man at 10s. per day for two days per month for ten months in the year, tho cost would have amounted to only .£lO. The information gained would have been worth to me J2IOO per annum.

improving a Dairy Herd, "I consider the production of our average cow in New Zealand is very low at present. Dairy farmers, by testing their herds and finding out. their best cows (and they can only be found by testing), can improve their herds by rearing the heifer calves from their best con's. It is j list as essential though that we should have somerecord on the male's side; in fact, my experience lias been that it is more essential that the sirp should be of good dairy strain. Show cattle are perhaps -right enough iti thoil way, but 1 have littlo time for them excepting when backed up with records of milk and butter-fat production of themselves or their nearest of kin. 1 think too much attention has been given in the nast to show points and not sufficient to milk records; and it is only by records that we can get at the milking strain. .... "If we have.some cows producing up to 4001b. of butter-fat, and male these cows to purebred bulls with a butter-fat record behind them eniially as good, °r better, and rear the Viptfov calves. J cannot res why we cannot build up herds the average cow of which will produce 4001b. of butterfat. As illustrating this. I had ltiue two-year-olds which averaged for last season almost 2901b. of fat, and these should be enual to '4001b. a , year when mature cows. Tlie records of these two-year-olds were :— Order of Milk. Fat. Merit. ■ ' s lb. lb. V 5,% i 340.10 2 6,-IM 320.32 :S li,'.'C3 313.85 .( .„■ „.. 0,217 29C.W -, 6,32! 200.22 li 5,307 273.45 7 5,195 262.07 8 5,757 255.73 g 3,2(15 222.54 Average-5,89011). of. milk, and 28G.741b. of butter-fat. "To illustrate the difference in earning capacity of two herds: One herd, say, is equal tb the average of all the cows tested bv the cow-testing associations last year, aiid gives about 2201b. of fat, while the other herd gives 300lb. of fat per cow per annum. Allowing 100 cows in each herd, tho difference in the total yield of butterfat per herd would be 801b. per cow, or 80001b. of fat. Taking ton years as the period of usefulness of oath herd, the difference in that time would amount to 80,00011). fat, which at Is. per pound would enual JMOOO.

Feeding. "Now Hint the time has arrived when .dairymen must, breed their own calves ami Year them for their herds, it is essential that these good heifer calves should not bo stinted. They hhould get newmilk for six to eight weeks, and then, and only then, is the foundation laid for n. »ood' constitution and a sound cow. Not only do we get constitution, but that heifer will, the first year sh« in milking, pay for. the proper rare given her in the first six or eight weeks of her existence. "If dairymen would have thoir cons tested, find out the robbers and throw them out altogether, and keep only the profitable cows, these cows would pay bettor still, they would find themselves better off with the smaller number of cows all of which were profitable. Cows must have plenty of suitable feed. It is just as essential" to feed cows when thry are turned out as when they lire being milked. Wo must not think we are going to get 1001b. of butter-fat from even n rooil cow if half-starved in winter. If cows have been (lone well when dry, they will Ik) at their best ill three weeks after calving. If not. it will be about Ihrne months before they have built up their systems and can make (heir best returns. '"Kind treatment is just as essential right through the life nf the cow as at any particular stage. 3(y experience hits been that we can never get Hi« full return from a cow that, has been abused. "I consider that the dairy business is only in its infancy. It is only by records

and tho use of n purebred bull with a milking pedigree Hint wo are going to got increased production. There is a lot of room for improvement. .Some people have an idea that a cow-testing association is not altogether whnt it ought to be; but I am thoroughly satisfied, tor it practically worked out with my factory returns Where dairymen are not satisfied, 1 think .1 good deal oi the complaint is caused by conditions on the farms. Cows roughly handled or samples.improperly taken cannot give the most accurate results."