THE DAIRY.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 5 June 1914, Page 7

THE DAIRY.

MILK PRODUCTION.

The production of milk is dependent on the development of the milk glands of the cow, and is a 'question of breed and suitability. Pood can assist and improve it marvellously.

The modern dairy cow is essentially an artificial production of civilisation—not a distinct natural type, as too many dairymen seem to think —with her splendid powers for producing milk gradually built up from very small- yields by good feeding and careful breeding from selected animals, continued through numberless generations of ancestors. The original breeds have been almost entirely changed in habits and appearance. She has been persistently bred, fed,> and selected by man for so long a time that she has changed' from a beef cow, giving a little milk, into a special-purpose cow, giving milk almost solely in return for her food. In other words, the dairy cow converts all her food, save that portion needed for existence, into milk and butter-fat, while her sister, the beef cow, converts her, surplus food into flesh and fat. This explains why two milch cows, fed with exactly the same fodder, will produce widely differing quantities of milki, one giving much because of the1 dominating "milk" strain in its nature, and the other producing little milk because of the stronger "beef" strain in its blood.

Improvement is the life of breeding when properly understood. This rule applies with the greatest force to the breeding of dairy stock, which shows the strongest tendency to I lapse again to the degree of breeding, and generally a little lower, from which 'the introduction of imI proved milking strains of blood has lifted them. The operation of this law of Nature can be greatly modified by feeding on the right lines, and numerous practical tests biave proved beyond a shadow of douibt that good care and feeding, systematically carried out from year to year, will change the individuality of cows, causing poor performers to becotne' good, and even special class, animals. The better the cow is, the better she can be made. TTie commonsense principle which must guide the i feeding is simply to avoid all fattening foods with cows inclined to lay on flesh. In sharp contrast to this strict rule is the latitude in feeding ; a dairy cow of approved strain, for jto this class of cow maize can be given freely, and she wfil account for the fat in the pail.

It js quite a matter of common knowledge ' that fully half of the dairy cows in Australia do not pay for their keep. Undoubtedly this fault lies with the owners to a very j large degree, and there are many of ; these cows, if given a fair chance j and proper treatment, who would ! quickly increase their yields and

show good profits. IT; is certain that ! the vast majority of the Australian | dairy farmers know absolutely noth- \ ing of the scientific aspect of feeding in relation to the production of milk, and therefrom, cheese and butter. Allowing for the cows that feeding will not improve in the line ol milk-production, there is no exaggeration in the assertion that present production of butter could be increased by one-half over best records by scientific feeding of the dairy cows now reserved for that special purpose. This would mean a 33 per cent, increase for about 10 per cent increase in cost of feeding, as compared with the possible 50 per cent, increase with cows of superior average breeding ; and up to 100 per I cent, increase in many special individual instances. The intelligent use of the feeding standards for milch cowe will enable any dairyman to ascertain with absolute accuracy if his cows are ol the right kind, and those that do not yield 10 to 12 quarts of milk per day should be watched. Any dairy cow that does not yield 3 quarts, at least, of rich milk per day, under the stimulus of the scientific ration of food, is not worth keeping ; she should be fattened and sold out of the herd.

There are immense numbers of cows in the dairy herds under false pretences ; they are not "dairy" cows at all, but just "beef" cows yielding some milk. They reqjnire weeding out without delay, for they are not earning their keep. They are consuming feed to no profit, and keeping out of the herds suitable animals who will give larger and profitable returns for it. Life is far too short to allow of valuable time being wasted in keeping cows bred on beef lines in the dairy, and not one in ten thousand dairymen can afford the loss of the money that the practice entails. Many a cow, a favourite with its owner because he reared her, or likes her form and disposition, is kept at a big loss. Sentiment of this kind has no place in the dairy business. If she cannot pass the test, and cannot be improved, she should be culled.

The real test of any cow is her yield after threw ox four months' milking, for many give a lot of milk at the start, but slacken off and go dry too soon ; these are no good for the dairy. The milk of every cowJ should be weighed as taken, "and a record kept of its weight. Judging by appearance is not nearly exact enough, for foam makes a big show, but does not weigh muchl With r spring balance handy, a pencil and piece of paper to put the figures on record, and each weighing, -will not take two minutes. This system of testing will unerringly tell tbfc dairyman the individual value of his cows and where its teachings are aqcepted the standard of the cows will be raised, and with it the income from them.-"The A. B. C. of Scientific Stock-Feeding." 1897.