The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1912.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 November 1912, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1912.

HERD TESTING

IXuitv experts are other commentators are agreed that the one thing above .'ill others that will help along the dailying industry will be an increased average milk yield. One of the latest pronouncements on this subject is that of Mr M. A. O'Callaglian, the New South Wales dairy expert. In a lecture delivered before the Bathurst Agricultural Bureau he said that a.s there were over 800.000 dairy cows in New South Wales, which, estimated at the low average of C 7 per head per annum, returned nearly .£(5,000,000. it must bo plain that an improvement of 10 gallons per cow would mean a lot to the State. Improvement in yield and quality was steadily going on, this being due to the interest of the dairy farmer and the profitable nature of the industry. It behoved the dairymen to consider carefully the cost of production and the profit. Herd-testing to eliminate culls was decidedly useful. At the Hawkesbury Agricultural College. in a herd of 03. the best cow's produce, on the basis of 10d per lb for butter, was over GIT), whilst the best, three cows averaged £10 10s 3d. The worst eow produced only £1 fis 2d the three lowest a vera g- I ing £1 12s lOd. These figures, said | the lecturer, demonstrated the im- | porta nee of keeping records of milk yields and tost ing for butter fat. The average milk yield for the •State was approximately 300 galTons per cow per annum whilst in Denmark the average yield reached 000 {gallons. Tn Holland, individual Holsteins even gave a.s high as 2000. Mr O'Callaghan considered thaf the cow which gave the medium quantity of milk with a high percentage of butter fat was the more suitable for the Bathurst district, A daily yield of from 21 to 3 gallons, with a

4 to o per cent butter fat tost would lio satisfactory. Many farmers made the mistake of allowing their eows to go off milk during tlio dry periods. This was serious, as, lie said it w.ns impossible to brine: tlio milk flow kick again with liber,nl feeding. Mucli of the fodder was wasted in .attempting this.