THE PROVEN SIRE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 7, 23 January 1937, Page 19

THE PROVEN SIRE

« m ■— CaDability of Transtnitting Miiking Qualities SPECULATIVE BREEDING Interest in.proven sires continues to grow, and it . may do so still more rapidly when it is recogaiised that the compilatipn of the somewhat formid-able-looking details is not as onerous as might at first appear. The work entailed was- at one time regarded as an dbjectien to milk fecords. But, although one record may mean something iil the nattlre of six to nine hundred Weighings and entries, no progressive breeder now considers this, and the further work, any argument against milk recording, states the ''Farmer and Stockbreeder." What remams to provide the fufi !nterpretation of the figures reeorded can hardly entail as ttiucb labour as the compilation of the records themselves. As time goes on there will be contemporary figures for facts that the pioneers have now to dig out of past history that has become somewhat bbscured. The work will become easier as statistics accumulate. A moderate bull, from the milk production point of view, may easily ao quire a fictitious reputation if he has been mated with cows oi high productivity. An anal^sis oi the yield of the dame and their dahghters, huwever, pricks the bubble and shows the sire's capability oi transmitting miiking qualities m their true light. As a bull mttst be six years old before a line to his cap&cities can be obtained, it is only in the reason of things that those wHo have proved worthy should be regarded as super pedigree Stock fof'use only on the best cows. But the proof also gives a line on the prospective merits of their sons, which lessens the speculative elements. It is in young bulls thus bred tha>t we 6ee evidence of increased interest. The proven bull does not noimally come into the market, but is retained by his fortunate bwner.

After 85 years JPortsmoilth has distarded tramcars for trollej, -bases. The iast tramcar tb run throUgh the city was driven by Sir Johh Timpson, chairaian of the tramwa^s Cornmittee. Tbe change over has cost the city about £2a0,000.