DAIRY HERD COMPETITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1857, 17 September 1913, Page 10

DAIRY HERD COMPETITIONS.

A TAKANAKI SUGGESTION. A committoe 0f...th0 Egmont A. and P. Association, appointed to go into the matter of a dairy herd competition, lias recommended that such a competition is desirable. The conditions suggested are that tho tost be open to herds of twenty-live cows or over, the prizes to bo awarded on the basis of the total quantity of milk supplied to tho factory, together with its butter-fat_ content. Tho duration of,tho competition will cover a period of nine months; practically the full term of lactation. Should tho recommendation, be adopted by tho association, and the competition instituted on tho lines suggested, it should prove of great value as an all-round educational factor. Hitherto competi-tions'-which are now held by A. anu i . Associations for dairy cows, other than sliow animals, aro conducted on sli°rt- * dated tests, and the results are of littlo practical rnluo beyond advertising what certain specially-selected cowb are capable of producing for a short period in the flush of tho season. After all, it is not the few abnormal yielding cows tnat prove tho superiority of tho_ farmer s methods, for the cows competing in tho tests may be tho only good cows in the herd. - Tho'dairy herd that is going to pay the farmer to keep is one which shows a high average yield throughout tho season; therefore any movement having for its objcct the; cultivation of collective earning powor is of greater value than one dealing with individuals, or units. To win a competition covering the output of the full herd, the farmer himself will have to contribute his full sliaro towards tho result. If the cows are to have a prrtper chance of showing their capabilities tlioy will need to bo supplied with the material to enablo them to do justice to their breeding. This is one direction in which the competition would be specially useful 111 bringing into prominenco tho importance of intelligent and systematic feeding. In a sense, the cow is the machine, and tho owner must find fuel of sufficient quality to permit tho full powerof the mechanism to be developed. The breeding, feeding, and general management of the herd will all count in the grand total of points obtained by the herds in competition, and for that reason thai test is likely to prove of far greater value than any that have yet been undertaken. This is a matter which might well occupy tho serious attention of all' A. and P. Associations. There should ho no great difficulty in the way of raising a substantial sum every year for distribution in prizes. Dairy companies could well afford to make liberal donations towards tho competition, for any movement having such an'object as the one under notice would of necessity raise tho standard or production throughout the district to the benefit of all .concerned.