MILK TESTING.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 45, 30 August 1907, Page 3

MILK TESTING.

The testing of the milking capacity of dairy cows is now becoming quite a common matter and the fortnightly weighing of the milk of each animal is regularly carried out iby many dairy farmers. This fortnightly work is not a very light matter, however, more especially where the testing of the percentage of milk-fat is also undertaken and the question has arisen if the number of trials cannot be reduced without reducing the correctness of the results, and so enable us to find out the comparative value of the cows with the least labour. The matter has been tried in various places, and a note in the last Journal of the Board of Agriculture summarises several of the trials. At Illinois station, for instance, testing one day every month gave an error of only 3 per cent., when compared with daily testing, i The Vermont station found the results were practically correct if the cows were tested only twice yearly — at the sixth week and seventh month after calving, for spring cows ; and at the tenth week and the seventh month for autumn cows. Where only one test was tried, then the sixth month for spring calvers and the third to the fifth for the summer and autumn calvers gave results correct enough for all practical purposes. The Maryland station found that one test at the seventh month of milking was reliable: where two tests were made then the third and eighth month were the best : if three tests, the third, the sixth, and the eighth. Where only these limited number of tests are tried, it was found desirable to take at least four consecutive milkings so as to get a fair sample of the cow's produce, but when this was done it was found that such,., limited trials gave quite trustworthy! results. Any one who has been keep-; ing a milk record can test the thingfor himself if he picks out the figures.; for the proper months, makes the necessary calculations and compares the results with those obtained in the ordinary fortnightly tests. If found reliable, or the error of difference so slight as not to matter very much," then the testing of our cows could becarried out with infinitely less trouble than at present. The matter is worth consideration.