VALUE OF HERD-TESTING

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4319, 19 September 1921, Page 2

VALUE OF HERD-TESTING

AN ENGLISH VIEW.

On the question of herd-testing and artificial feeding a English writer says : “It is, no doubt, with the greatest interest and pleasure that Shorthorn breeders noted the advent of the 2000 gal. dairy Shorthorn cow, Lady. This cow is the first of, the breed to give such a high yield, or, at least, it is the first one whose yield has been so recorded. It is quite possible that daily Shorthorns have in the past given this quantity of milk during one lactation period, but such a result is valueless if not officially recorded. Too little attention has been given in the past to milk records, but their value is now being recognised. They are indeed particularly valuable, not only from the point of view of the quantity of milk, but from the greatly enhanced value of the cow. The most satisfatcory point is, however, that this result has not been achieved by artificial means, as the cow has been dealt with exactly the same as 1 the other members of the herd, turned out all the year and only milked twice a day. If a high milk yield is obtained by artificial means it is to be deprecated, as instead of proving beneficial to the herd and to the breed generally it proves the exact opposite in the course of the next generation. Heavy milking at the cost of over-feeding soon ceases to be remunerative.

‘We have long urged on farmers,” says the same writer, “the value of milk recording, and ar ( e gratified to find that so many more are seeing its possibilities. The possession of the Ministry of Agriculture certificate is a valuable asset .when the time comes for disposing of the herd- The calves from recorded cows fetch far better prices in the market than calves from unregistered dams. Milk recording societies are springing up in all par.ts of the country, and farmers are joining them enthusiastically. This is as it should be,, Anything which helps to improve the dairy herds of this country deserves the fullest support. Milk is the most important product of the farm, and if it can be produced more cheaply the profits are correspondingly greater. We are convinced that there are a very large number of cows in the country which would be eligible for entry in the Ministry of Agriculture’s register of Dairy Cattle if their owners were only members of a milk recording society, and we would urge all our readers who have not yet joined such a society to do so as early as they possibly can. The subscription is small, ,the work entailed is negligible, while the results arewell worth the little trouble there is.