A USEFUL DAIRY STANDARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 431, 2 June 1902, Page 4

A USEFUL DAIRY STANDARD.

Tho Buffalo Model Dairy Test would seem to have provided a much-desired standard by which dairymen may arrive at a fairly accurate judgment as to the percentage of butter-fat and of solids in the milk yielded by any one or more of their cows. Tho test extended over six months; moreover, it is on record that some of the cows were in milk several weeks before the test began. The respective dairies of five may thus be accepted as fairly typical of any ordinary herd irrespective of breed. Tho differences that are known to exist in regard to the readiness of the fat globules in milk yielded by various breeds to coalesce during the process of churning may in this instanco be ignored, siuce those who made the butter would do their very best for their respective breeds. The official report gives total quantity of milk in pounds, total quantity of churned butter, and averages of the percentages of butter-fat and of total solids for the whole period of 184 days. We thus arrive at the following practical standards : Guernsey.—To produce lib of butter, 18.6901 b of milk, having 4 60 per cent, of butter fat and 13.9 per cent, of solids.

Polled Jersey. For lib of butter 18.8181 b of milk, having 4.06 per cent, butter fat, 13.9 per cent solids. Jersey.—For lib of butter 19.1521 b of milk, nnving 4 58 per pent, butter fat; 13.6 per cent, so ids. French Cnnadia .—For lib of butler 23.908 of milk, having 399 pa - cent, of bn> ter fat 18 3 per cent, solids. Bed Polled.—For lib of butter 21.7471 b o' milk, having 3.98 per rent, of butterfat. 13.1 per cent sobds. Ayrsiiiie For lib of butter 23 3131 bof m k, having 3 69 per cent, butter fat, 12.6 per cent, solids. Brown Swiss. For lib of butter 23.8291 b of milk, having 3.63 per cent, butter fat. 12.7 per cent, solids. Shorthorn. —For lib of butter 24.3871 b of milk, having 3.57 per cent, butter-fat, 12 8 per cent, solids. Dutch Belted.—For lib butter 25.4061 b of milk, having 3.4 per cent, butter-fat, 12 3 per cent, solids. Holstein.—For lib of butter 27.4491 b of milk, having 3.25 per cent, butter-fat, 12.0 per cent, soiids. It will be seen that there is a fairly steady increase in the ratio of milk to butter, and as steady a decrease in the percentage of butter-fat and total solids. The ratio in the case of the French-Cana-dian breed was reduced, as a consequence of the cows during the last fivo or six weeks having produced a higher quality with little diminution in The quantity of milk—one of the benefits of a lowering of the temperature of the atmosphere in the cattle sheds. That improvement in the environment affected most of the cows competing, though not to the same extent as it did the Freneh-6anadians. It is said that a temperature of 63deg. F. ensures the best possible results when the cow is in a healthy condition, and that increase or decrease in the temperature adversely affects the milk yield. This Buffalo test would appear to support that assertion, hut to what extent, for the several breeds, only examination of the full details would demonstrate.