N.Z. DAIRY COWS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 163, 30 March 1918, Page 10

N.Z. DAIRY COWS

IMPROVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

AN EXPERT'S REVIEW

The current number of the "Journal of Agriculture" contains the following interesting articlo by Mr. W. 11. Singleton, Assistant Director of thu Dairy Division:—

I It. is approximately three-quarters of j a century since thu earliest importaI tionsiot cattlo into New Zealand. Tho first to arrive were Shorthorns, and a few years later Ayrshires, were introduced. The Ayrshire crossed with the Shorthorn provided the foundation of our earlier, dairy herds. The Jersoys, Friesians, and Guernsey 3 were troduced later,, and during the seven decades since tho first Ayrshire was imported dairy cattle have been increasing in numbers, until the 1916-17 enumeration (31/1/17) credits our herds with .777,439 dairy cows: ■ The 1911 [consus shqwed> 633,733 dairy cows, < tho six-years increase thus being 143.70G, or 22} per cent. ",For many.reasons it is not an easy task to compile a satisfactory estimate of the yield of the average dairy cow. Not all cows that calve milk the full season,'.and.some c-oivs do not come into milk iat all. Dairymen will seldom state the , number of their dairy cows above those that are in milk, and sometimes two heifers 'are counted as one cow. The returns, made to the Government Statistician are likely to indicate the position more accurately, but even these,, in the writer's opinion, are most likely to be understated than overstated.

Probably the most satisfactory manner of estimating the butter-fat yield of the average dairy cow—in milk and dry—is to calculate the total production of butter-fat for the Dominion. 'This includes the portions exported as butter,. cheese, dried , milk, etc., .and the- quantities of these commodities' consumed locally, together , with the local consumption oi milk, cream, and flondensod milk. Figuring on this basis, it is estimated that during tlip 1916-17 season over 125,800,0001b. o* butter-fat was produced by flic 777,439 cows indicated by the Statistician's figures as being m milk and dry. \ For the season 1910-11 it is osl-.imated that over 90,000,0001b. butter-fat wan produced; by the 633,733 cows indicated in that year's census. Between the two periods tho increaso in the number of cows is 22i per cent., whoreae the increase in the buttor-fat produced is over 89 per cent. Those figures boar testimony to the improvement ft tho producing capacity of the .average dairy cow.

On the foregoing basis the avnraEK cow for the 1910-11 season is credited with a production of 14U.11b. of butterfat. -The yields had been so improveu in the following' six years that for. tho 1916-17 season the credit for the average cow is 161.81b. butter-fat. Tblu represents an increase of 19.71b. but-ter-fat, or 13.8 per cent, over the yield of the overage cow for 1910-11. The, 777,439 cows, of 1916-17 enumeration produced last season ore fifteen and a quarter million pounds more butter-fat than wouM have Deei* obtained "on the average yield of the 1910-11 cow. As the lockl consumption iu any cas» receives firso conmaerntion reading supplies, it follow* that our e>?Jorts have been directly In* creased by the, total amount of tlje improved yitta. Much t of tills oxtra milk-fat and accompanying non-fatty, tolids was devoted to cheose-prodvu;-tion, for which the suppliers rounived payment ht'ratej varying up to 24d. pound butter-fat. Butter factories paid suppliers an average ot more than 18Jd. per pound fat for the past seasou.

• Reducing the exports in butter and cheoso for the 191G-17 season to butterfat, tho figures show that a little moro butter-fat was exported in butter than in cheese. It is conservative to value the increased production per cow for tho 1916-17 season at 20d. per pound fat. The value of this increased yiold of butter-fat would thus amount to' £1,276,000,.paid to milk and cream suppliers. Further, this increased butterfat per cQyr means more milk, and therefore more by-products, such as whey, skim-milk, and buttor-milk. Roughly, these would amount to more than 36,000,000 gallons, and must represent a very material increase in tho Dominion's carrying capacity for pigs and calves.

_ Moreover, the economic value of the increase to the Dominion has been greater thau tbeeo figures represent. In addition to the suppliers' receipts, this oxtra butter-fat has paid for ail labour and other charges incidental to manufacturing and shipping the produce. Much of the extra amount has bedn paid to labour for services in the dairy factories, in the supply of fuel, timber, transport, and wharf handling. Many of these services are not connect ed directly with the dairying industry. An increase in the Dominion's exports of food products duo to tbe keeping of ?n Increased number of cows is commendable, bui oven more praiseworthy is the increased production due to tho improvement of th'o average .dairy cow. Factors are at work in this connection which indicate that a further increase of production per cow will yet result. "New Zealand's asso.t in.her dairymen and dairy cowe is appreciating more than is generally realised.