INCREASING BUTTER-FAT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2632, 30 November 1915, Page 10

INCREASING BUTTER-FAT

v ;'A few dairymeii believe 'that, the nor'.mal percentage of butter-fat in a cotf's; milk can- be increased by a special dietary. Tho efforts oE tlie Government -.-■ experimental, stations' 'in. the.. United States of America have - failed., ki prove -.this to-be, the; ease. The; dairy divi- -■■■■ Sion in -tijat;count-ry..is: now at >work in ■ a simila'r/'.'difection. ■ The . results-'indi-cate that; feed' has"some slight effect- on the'butter-fat-content/but so far they are too indbfinite-:to be of any.practical . value. .'Tho: surest >vay; to raise the.; , -percentage-.of-;butter-fat is by ltunto milk!-,i This oan.be done by using 1., a- sire descended 011. both sntss from /: high-testing 'ancestors.; The law of •: (heredity. tnakes the transmission of the -best. qualities in dairying stock tolerably certain. Instances of, successive v'generations inheriMug and reproducing: tlioso aro not bv any means rare. It should be tlie aim and object of every ' dairy'fanner to increaso the efficiency of his herd. , It is economically ; more . profitable to milk a lesser number of high-yielding cows .than a full compiement of bad, or good and bad ones mixed. .The output- 'of butter-fat can be increased by selection and breeding. This Can only be accomplished by mat- ; iiig higli-festinoc animals. No known system of, feeding will make a 3 per odnt. cow test 5 per cent. It would , bs easily possible by judicious breeding to develop tho butter-fat producing qualities of dairying herds. •