DAIRY HERD SIRES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1853, 12 September 1913, Page 10

DAIRY HERD SIRES.

'AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. During a rocont tramp abroad, 'the ■Writer' 'was an interested listener • to an animated discussion between two well-known stock-breeders regarding dairy, hen! sires. Tho subject was introduced by a passing remark that it does:not pay the'.dairyman to keep a bull after lie is three years old. This .statement was qualified by the further remark that iw young, vigorous animal is better fitted to -perform- tjie duties •required of him,; and to' transmit his inherent.characters to his progeny before ho has reached an ago when he becomes too heavy. It will be noticed, 'lie continued, that when cattle are allowed to roam lit largo, or when tlioy are seen in their i wild, "state, ..that it.'is tho young bull who h'c'ads'tlio herd. Supporting his t]ieorj', the speaker went on to say, that provided a bull is well .nourished from birth, ho is fit'for sbr'vice at nine months old, and will reach his maximum usefulness at from eighteen nionths to threo years of ago. Instances wero quoted to show that, throughout ■tho animal kingdom, it is, tho young and vigorous males which; produco the strongest and. best cqnstit\iti6ned offspring. Whilo agreeing, that in the main tho argument advanced had some strong points in'theory to recommend it, tho 6ccond breeder was not prepared ' to accept the principle outlined. While 'ho recognised tho desirability of securing strong aiid healthy progeny in tho lierd.' he .was.not convinccd-'that a bull should be'discarded at three years of age. Tho rcforenco made to tho fact of tho younger animals leading the herd nmortg cattlo when. left to their own devices, lie contended, did not apply to tho breeding of dairy cattlp. It mighfe ' possibly do so whore tho- raising of iiueef only was concerned. In his opinion the young bulls held pride of p.osition \ ; among wild cattle because of. their prSivess in battle, rather than from liny other cause.' It was a case of might is Tight. Amongst dairy . breeds it Mvas 'tlio rule that the best fighters wercthe hiorst sires for producing profitable 'stock. ,Ho- did not think.it desirable , for a dairy-farmer to discard an animal nt the end of two or three seasons' service, more especially if it wero known that lie,came from a family whoso milking strain ,;was of undoubted quality". (A high-class pure-bred bull from tested ■parents was, he said,- an expensive proposition'; and a man. would naturally bo ' loth to, part with him until he had iactually-proved, through his stock, tliat /he was' transmitting the characteristics (desired" to build ..up a profitable /'herd. If such a praetico were followed Vthe farmor'would never know where lie i.was with-his breeding, and would, in , till probability, introduce into his herd a 'replace 'animal which would throw '•stock of'quite another, tvpo than that ,'which lie was endeavouring to develop. s The battle of argument- waged,around the points raised tor and against the original , contention, but neither party gav"o awav any "ground. Speaking of dairy sire's generally, both were agreed that'the ''proportion of third-rate, or "scrub," bulls-now in . use is against the best interests of the farmer. 'Die opinion was expressed that tl|e dairyman would be well advised to leave the breeding of sires to the specialists who understand tha business, aiid who are ■ constantly replenishing their hords with the best.stock available. Not one man in a hundred, it was said, know enough about stock-breeding to ho successful in mating for a desired result. If everybody aimed at building up a purebred ' dairy-herd with the idea of marketing the 'surplus, males nob required for tho milking herd, thero was bound to be ■ disaster. --This remark introduced the phase of breeding'for milking capacity. The successful show-ring bull, it was argued, was not always the best animal to°introduce into a herd of cows where milk and butter-fat production were tho objective. ■„ Handsome is . as handsome does, and unless tho, external characterI istics of tiie show beast were well supported by undeniable records of proficiency in the. ancestry of the strain, the j progeny of tho show bull could not bo depended upon. .It was further empha[sised'that it«is'not always desirable to .breed from animals which have shown .mi abnormal propensity for milk or but-.ter-fat production. If such a course is' followed through several generations the milk'flow is only sustained at tho ex-ipe-nse of constitution. Tho balanco of inature will assert itself, and sooner or •ilator tlie health of tho stock become im- ' paired.. Tho high-producing cows aro [invariably 'the' most susceptible to disorders and disease; it followed, therefore, that tho objective to be aimed at (by a dairyman when building up a herd 'for general purposes was to endeavour jto'- secure an even line of high-average (producing cows, rather than to havo j a small percentage of abnormal yielders, jwhich- aro a constant source of trouble (owing to their susceptibility to breakidowns;of one* kind or another. On the .question being put to the man favourling, the young slra, as to how he would i dispose of all tho three-year-old bulls tprofitably, tho reply was that even 'though the majority of the animals to- . (he discarded wtre high-priced ' beasts, ithcy would havo paid for themselves jhy their three years' service, and would, lif fattened, bo-worth a fair sum for : killing purposes. Seeing that so many 'lulls now in use are bought because they i are, cheap, probably tlio men . who now i purchase that class of sire would buy |the older animal at a low figure in preference to tlie '•'scrub'.' .- which he uses nt present. Although,' in his opinion, jtlio use of tho aged animal- was not I desirable as a general rule, lie would prefer to see them used,in place of the (mongrels. On the main noints nt issue j regarding tho age of bulls, tho de'haters agreed to differ. ' Oalf Food Up-to-Date.—The "Gilruth" Calf Tood is now prepared ill two qualities.' No. 1 (bluo brand) for fmlin? with ekim milk.- and No. 2 (red brand) for feeding with either casein or cheese whey.. •Obtainable' all. Stores.—Ailvt. \ Tlio Lovin Co-operativo Dairy Co.,' Ltd., is paying its suppliers Is. Id. per' pound for butter-fat supplied during August. "