DAIRY FARMING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4643, 28 December 1923, Page 3

DAIRY FARMING.

L THE WHKION HERDS. IMPROVING THE BREEDS. The present position of the dairy industry in the Dominion —its. domination as an earning power—owes a great deal to the specialisation in ? that system of farming by the same - body of settlers in the Taranaki provinee. In the “cow” province the dairy animal-has been bred to an ex- . ceptionally high standard, and for many years now it has been possible * ■ for other provinces to draw upon 4 Taranaki for foundation stock both for pedigree and grade herds. There are many wonderful dairy herds in the province. This is due to the long / ? years of experience (and experience ’ is the great teacher) that the dairy,men of the province have had, and ' = to their consistent use of pedigree ' and butter-fat sires. The position is well exemplified to-day in the know-. •.ledge that both the champion butter?>C#hkcows of the Dominion, the great Friesian cow Alcartra Clothilde 11451b of butter-far, and the now famous Jersey cow Pretty’s Flirt, z 'MfilOlb of butter-fat, were bred in Taranaki. Or, further than that, it ’ could be pointed out that the recently deposed champion Jersey cow, Sul- ” tan’s Daisy, 9681 b of butter-fat, as . well as the great majority of the ■;;800lb' and 7001 b cows of that breed, were bred in Taranaki. Similarly, great bulk of the 8001 b and 9001 b ; Friesian cows are either Taranaki - owned or by Taranaki sires. Further illustrations of the wonderful standard of Taranaki dairy cattle • have just been witnessed in the two j g eat dairy shows held at Hawera au'd Stratford. At the latter show, ■; completed this month, in the dairy . . cattle classes there was the • great total of 530 entries. In one class no ■ : less than 34 heifers came before the judge of Jerseys, Mr W. H. Booth, of Middle Run, Carterton, and many . other classes had more than 20 animals forward. The judging was a • ' whole-day business, lasting from after 9 o’clock in the morning • until 6 in the afternoon. The Friesian judge, Mr C. E. Robertson, of Wellington, had a formidable task in his adult classes, having two rings of • cows such as has never before been brought together in any part of the - Southern Hemisphere.. Twelve of the females alone had butter-fat records averaging 7501 b. Among these were ’ many heifers, and two cows which ha! both produced 10001 b of butter- "', fat. No less than six of these females received certificates from the judge in the ring, but it was fully ojne and ’a half hours before the final verdict ;/ was given.