The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1922. HERD TESTING.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 769, 19 September 1922, Page 4

The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1922. HERD TESTING.

“We nothing extenuate, nor aught set down in malice.”

frbe importance of the subject to all dairy farmer’s is ouij reason for again referring to the advantages of systematic co-operation in testing of herds. The farmer nafu/rally asks whether the knowledge he derives from the testing is worth the small expense. Other districts where associations are aO.ive and flourishing (declare jt (is a very profitable investment. Some interesting and instrucitive figures on the subject were given last week a«ti -the annual meeting of the Kaitieke Herd-testing Association, which is claimed ho be the largest in New Zealand. During the year a total of 1878 cows, comprising 65 herds, were tested, an increase of 23 herds' over the previous season. The highest herd this

season had averaged 2790.11bs of fat -in 266 ‘.days., while the lowest had only 95.855ibs fat per cow in 187 days, In the previous season’s only 92.851bs of fat per cow, bi< by judicious culling as the result of testing, this heiid had increased its average to 157 991bs fat pei\ cow for the season under review, The highest inqrease in production on herds that were culled the previous season, as shown on actual factory returns, was 44,1, per cent. That increases were largely due to culling was borne out by the fact that heads which had been tested both seasons but no>t culled at all showed no increase whatever, even a decrease in some cases. Further, increases in hdqds that were culled the previous season showed at 26.8, 20.8, 20.7, 17.4, 14.7. 6.91 and 5,04 per cent, respectively. The difference between the production of the lowest and, highest herds proved (the necessity (for culling and raising .'the herds up to the standard of the highest cow; and this difference reduced ito figures, taking the price of butter-fat at Is 6d per lb disclosed an -average far the highest herd, of over £2O per cow, while the lowest averaged only a little over over £7. That breeding also played an important parft in he|rd improvement was idemonostrated by the fact that in the herds with the highest average, pure! bred sires we{re used, of good dairying strains, and in this connection it wgs pleasing to note ifhat purebred bulls appeared to foe coming into the district -as fast as finance would allow. Cutting out unprofitable animals brings more money /to the farmer and mo/re prosperity to the district.