IMPROVEMENT OF DIARY HERDS

Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 July 1910, Page 4

IMPROVEMENT OF DIARY HERDS

To tlie Editor. Sir, —At the present tiino /tliore is ii widespread de.siro amongst dairy fanner,s in New Zealand to improve their (bury bends. It is fast being realised that the amount of but-ter-l'a:t produced per cow can lie doubled, and this means that practically the same amount of lahour yields double the income. It is difficult- to arrive at an accurate estimate of the average production per cow for the whole of New Zealand, hut I am quite suire I would ho considerably over-stating the mark if I said 200th,s of 'butter-fat per annum was the average. To show, then, what really can he done by proper attention to the dairy herd. T will quote the case of Mr A. Knntson, of Carterton, whose whole 'herd of ("2 cows, during a recent test under the rules of the Dalefield Testing Association, averaged ftlOlbs per cow. The six best cows averaged 4051bs butter-fat each. Now, Tam convinced that' even these figures, -however excellent, are not the high-wa-ter mark of .New Zealand dairying; that the best herds will go beyond this, and that the poorest herdts can be brought up to give .tiesii'lts approaching those of Mr Knut.son. What are our present means of improving our herds? Testing unC|Uestionably has been the greatest factor. By this means we find out what animals are poor producers and eliminate them from the herd. At best, 'however, it is a slow method, and is negative, ra'thor -than positive in its results. Tt shows us what are bad, but does not really s'tjw how to get '.roc; 1 beasts. Even when we have removed the worst cows, we then have but a mediocre litrd. Aivcrt'her method of improving our herd is bv selling tlio old stock outright and buying in aluiesli, and being very lucky indeed, as many of us know to otir cost, if we get as good a herd as we parted with.

Tlif trouble is we do not know where to gwt g<x>d cows. Podigree cattle lor which high {>rices miislt be P'tid are frequently valueless, and seldom come up to expectantioiifi. The real way open to us is to get dniry biill,s of great momit. At 'Oivsenlt we are a.t the /tender imMvy~or the so-called breeder. Rarely,' it evor, i.s there any reliable inl'ownation of pertormances given. CertaiwTy wo liavo their pedigrees; but of what use are tbe.se to fanners, who wan.t butproducers. The tendency, says Thomas Shaw, an eminenlt authority on dairy cattle, "has been to ex.alt pedigree nbove indiiviidmil merit. If pedigree is possessed of no otifoer morit than its length, tlion iinqiiestioivably individual merit i.s nioiiie lmpoiHant than pedigree." If, then, and I oannot urge this point too strongly upon iall diairy larmers, ia Utility Herd , Book were established, and kept imctor -the contro! of dairy far mors, so that the performance of nny -beast, pediigm? or grade, of great merit, could be recorded, we would then be n'n a position to secure hulls of excellence to enable us with some degree of cer.tainty to improve our herds. Those breeders only who 'broed great per.formors would be able to make good .pnices. A great- impetus would tiliius bo given to the improvement of the class of dairy cattle in New Zenland. ITtilitv Herri Books, I believe, are established in every oftdior dairying country.

The follownipr is abridged from Mr M\ MeCaflfory in his book. " The First Oitfurv of T>airvm» in NVvv South WnW:-"l.n 1870 a dooidieo rHwinffP iooik t>l in th<* ol,n<w of dairy stfyk pvbibitprl in Kiamn. Fll'.i\v.«rr.n. N T .R.W. Tt was tb<> d.nwn of tbo Slmrtiliorn beef cnnze, .wlhpili prarlficaliv ia,nin!liiiln,ted ibe dinirv riffle. Previous to tin's beef mw. no better d,a.irv pows pypr ilooVpi'l Mironrrli a bnil tlian w«rp frnndi in +-J* irtbove difitviVf. T.n 188S tb« Tvinniii. Aoifi/*u]fnr.nl AwjopiViltiioiii 's T>nirv Hpi-cI Book w.ns One of tbe rules wns +.biat n^v tbnt produced at lest I2lbs butter or

3501bs milk in one week should! he entitled ito a place in the Herd Book also her progeny, and any bull four of wliose progney produced same. To-day Iltawarra ami the sunroundiug districts are noted for their superior dairy cattle." NV> doubt we can frame rules better suited Ito our special needs, *uul more in keeping with tho conditions of <Jam-y farmers in New Zoalaml; 'but the Epint 1 wish to make is that tho establishment of n I'tiility Herd Book is an immediate need, and t'lvat no great move will be mado ui tlie <li.mfl.ion of improving tht dairy .herds of W Zealand until such a Herd Book has Leon established . The need has been long felt, and a motion .1.1 favour of the establish meivt of a Uhlilv Herd Book wns ->assed umiMinouslv at Ithe Jafit Taranaki farmers Union Conference. "What is wantod is some recognised body to stop [11 and give tlie start, If t<he Government were to take the.niba step in the innuffuiiiabion of tins book the interest aroused amongst- the dairyin" community would ensuvo its ultimate success. Thanking you in a nticipatio,,--.T^m # etc.. HoMAs Ngaere, July 21.