TESTING PEDIGREE DAIRY HERDS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1560, 2 October 1912, Page 10

TESTING PEDIGREE DAIRY HERDS.

OiriCUL KEGISTER OF MERIT.

According to tho Agricultural Departinont, tho eemi-official testing of-pedigree dairy stock is being takon advantage.- of in a very gratifying inaniiOT. Applications have bc."u received by the-Dairying fiivieion troni: owners in- all the" principal dairyins districts, Holstcin and Jersey hrceders -being the chief supporters' of the scheme. It is considered probable that several hundred, purebred Holstcin cows will bo officially tested this season, and about tho same number of .Ter.-cys will also be entered for semi-official testing. As has been stated before, both rlie-Holstein-l'riesian Association and the Jer.«v. Breeders', Association have , adopted the scheme for tho taking and recording of tho sjini-official tests of the Department.

; Herd testing,is a,lso stated to be proceeding in a. highly-satisfactory manner, especially in . Tarannki,. .and co-operative ■ testing-• associations, have already b°en iormedat Midhirst. Stratford, Lcpperton, Kaupokoiiui, Jlnnutahi, and Kakaramea, also-at Kaitaia and Jianngatnpero (Auckland), at Woodville, aiid Kairanga, and in the'Soiith Island at Tai Tnpn. It is estimated that the records of from- 25,0(J0 ,J" cows; will bo coinpilsd during the: present s'rason. .

■_ I he remarks of.a Northfield. Minn., Holstsiii breeder, Mr. Vt. j>, Schilliii",- on short verfuses yearly testing, are of interest; at this stace.--v"As a breeder of Holsteiii.?,"-.sajs-Mr. Schilling, -"I want to Say .that T,-for one. am in favour of abandoning' the' seyeiwlay' tests and putting all' co\Vs on'the ssmi-officinl ! yearly work.;' I havo made many good seven anil 30-dav-.records in the past, but not by tho.,fatting process, as the cows so tested showed that they enve-in tost only normal Holsteinmilk, which lnsaiis, according to Gardner's, official.report, around 3.5 per cent.' fnt. , If the fatting process keeps up .withus-wc will Eeo,a lot of'short milkers in- t.hn ;brced, And that is not what we, the, farmers, want.

"I do not say that.there are not any four per cent."'Holsteins, but I do say tlv\t under normal-conditions the 4.5 .and 5.5 per cent. Holsteins are not foundin any numbers, that would, warrant a breeder , or farmer to; buy on such a record. Xole. for instance, that a cow 're-; cently tested ami officially-renorted gave in.'seveii days 534.41b. of niilki and tho test showed 5.31 psr. cent. fat. Tn the 30(lav period' this cow pave 2,567.81b. of ■mill? with a test of 4.51 per-cent. fat. Notpithfi'differerice in'the fir=t 30.days—almost, one per-cent; in fat.; This cow was tested n?ain at tho end'or hear the second 30-day period and tho percentage of fat >as reduced to. 3.G. Now, 'it will ht\- sean that; this cow made 26.451b. of fat iii the first seven' davs with the abnormal percentage of fat. Had she been giving her normal milk, which is around, 3.(j. per' cent.,.her fat record for the! wrek would be 19.271b.. or a difference' of !ÜBH>.,of fat; and the 30-day record would bn'. 103.301b1-' of fat inst?ad of 110.531b. The, significant part .of this tp«t is that the'cow. actually lost in flesh SOlb. during' the. first "30 days' of. tho test. - !

"Excprinieiit- stations all. ovsr the land' sire "'measuring enws by what they can do in-a year, and the farmer is olfio measairimr^his'cows;'by that standard, so it will .'bo well for breeders to take cognisancp.;qf U\is'foct and do likewise. Give. ns i more : ' yearly,; normal records, and a' good, safe business working taris." ■

Although there lias been an exceptionally .good lambiiig •season.through-nit the ■Inangahua. district, snys the local pap;r, there is every probability, unless the ivcather moderates, of heavy losses in the percentage of lambs, caused through the inability to dock. On investigation of Ihq death, of lambs which have dicrl, suddenly, it has'lwen found tb»oini!9"of death was due to duease of the kidneys. ; _