JERSEY STANDARDS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5170, 26 August 1927, Page 4

JERSEY STANDARDS.

IMPROVING THE BREED. RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO TYPE. Tho address given in Te A.wamutu a few weeks ago by Mr A. E. Missen, of Hamilton, president of the New Zealand Jersey Breeders’ Association, dealt interestingly with the question of adopting a standard type for the Jersey breed. The subject was brought forward by Mr G. S. Clarke, president of the Te Awamutu Jersey Club, who argued that type differed remarkably in the pedigrees, and different judges 'had different standards. The matter was debated intelligently by some of the members present, and representation was made to the parent body as a recommendation.

In this connection it is interesting to note that the annual meeting (last week) of the Manawatu Jersey Cattle Breeders’ Club devoted some time to discussion on the classification of Jersey cattle accordng to to a standard of type, the upshot being that it was decided to circularise other clubs on the subject, stressing the advantages of the proposal. In a report presented on the question the executive stated :—• “For many years past it has been the practice on the Island of. Jersey to classify Jersey cattle according to a standard of type and there can be no gainsaying that the island system has achieved much in the way of standardising their ideal. Quite recently a movement has been sett afoot in the United States to have all registered dairy cattle classified as to type and the classification recorded in and form part of the animal’s pedigree. It is thought this system might be advantageously adopted in New Zealand by our Jersey Breeders’ Association, qnd it must be admitted that the system would have obvious advantages; Many good producers de not possess good type, although typ® is almost a’s important as production, and, while: they sometimes breed better than they look, yet a breeder who wishes to build up a good, typical herd would not want a bull from a homelylooking brute of a cow, no matter how good a producer she was. Even if her bull calf was a fairly good type he might breed back.

“Few breeders go to the trouble of investigating the type of an animal’s ancestors, or even pay great attention to the type of the animal itself before purchasing, being content to concentrate upon production records,. There should be a system evolved, and used, that would enable a buyer to form a reasonably correct opinion of an animal’s value from a tabulated pedigree, but unless the pedigree embraced information that would enable the purchaser to see upon what plane the animal’s ancestors stood from the point of view of type there would be available only about 50 per cent of the informaton necessary in order to enable the purchaser to come to a decision. A vendor may be a fair judge of type, and describe the ancestors of which he has knowledge, and this information may be fully satisfactory to the purchaser; but how is the latter going to pass it on to his prospective buyers in a satisfactory form from the oral information he has 1 ADVICE FOR BUYERS.

“We should have a system that would enable a breeder to present to a prospective buyer in the case of a mature animal the unbiassed judgment of type experts as to the type of the animal and-its ancestors. It should be. possible for a prospective customer to get as much or more information as to the probability of the animal to reproduce type from the tabulated pedigree as he now gets from seeing the animal’s ancestors it is possible for him to view. In the case of a young breeder such information would be of great value, as his judgment as to type is frequently seriously at fault. Those who have seen the Jersey Island pedigrees of cattle have probably been puzzled as to the v significance of ‘H.C.’ and ‘C,’ and. when you learn that these are degrees awarded for type you probably thought of what little value attached to same, but there is little doubt, that the island system of awarding degrees for type has been the island breeders’ greatest asset. We have long been .able to show them our heels as regards production, but they have beaten us on type, and will continue to do so until we adopt similar methods. When we do this wei can breed type as well as they can. “It is not necessarily suggested that we adopt their ideals as to type, but rather their method of securing type and recording it. There is no reason why we iji New Zealand should not be able to produce type as well as the island people can do. Type is bred into the animal, and the Island plan of standardisation is good, and we should adopt it and improve upon it. THREE DEGREES. “It is suggested that three degrees be adopted, namely, V.H.C. (very highly commended), H.C. (highly commended), and'C (commended). Only the very cream of both' sexes would bo eligible for V.H.C., possibly 5 per cent. ; while H.C. would take I's per cent. ; and perhaps 30 per cent, would be absorbed under the C class. The other 50 per cent, would receive no official recognition as regards type, and doubtless many worthy animals would be left out, but many of these could be examined at a future inspection, and if they had improved sufficiently they might be classed under C, or, if their progeny were of a type to warrant it, the parents, might be awarded recognition of this by being classed C.P. (commended on account of superior progeny). If the work of classification was well done type degrees would be as stable as production records, and would carry equal weight in pedigree. This is not a visionary idea, as it has been operating successfully on the Island of Jersey for many years. The islanders have blazed the trail, and surely we can safely follow their footsteps. “It is, suggested that three of the best-known expert judges of type in New Zealand be got together; let these three work together until any important differences are adjusted, and they are fully agreed upon the requirements as regards standards-.

After the original three have got the work of classification in hand and working smoothly, appoint a further three recognised authorities on type each of whom will be associated with one of the original three, and the classification will then be carried on in pairs. As the newly recruited experts get sufficient experience and become fully conversant with the standard set, each in turn would be placed in charge of a fresh recruit, and so on until we fiacl sufficient competent and standardised experts to cqrry on the work throughout the Dominion. The cost of classification may be somewhat heavy, but the value of the results achieved would more than compensate for this. The association would make a fixed fee for classification, and it would be advisable for breeders in different districts to arrange committees to have animals grouped in such a way as would minimise the amount of travelling involved. Where there are Jersey clubs this work might be undertaken by the clubs. It s considered that the above inspection and classification should be compulsory.” The meeting decided, following comment, to eliminate the compulsory clause and to circulate the report as amended to otb'er Jersey clubs.