IMPROVING THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1982, 27 May 1919, Page 2

IMPROVING THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

THE evidence of Mr W. M. Singleton, Assistant Director of the Dairy Division of the Agricultural Department, gave some very interesting information and valuable results of bis observation in connection with the dairying industry. The total number of cows in New Zealand in 1918 w.as 793,215, and it was estimated that the average production per cow was 101.81 b. of but-ter-fat, having increased to that figure from 1421 b. during the preceding six years. In the season 1910-17 it was estimated that this increase was worth £1,270,000 to the Dominion, The figures indicate the possibilities in connection with the dairy industry. The average of 1011 b. of butter-fat, although showing a marked and valuable increase, is a long way below what is possible of attainment, and the full development is only to be gained by a continuance of sylemalic testing, the weeding out of cows shown by the test to be inferior, and the selection of sires from proved milking strains. The Department is willing and desirous of rendering all possible help in this direction. If an increase from an average yield of 1421 b, of fat to Itillb. means an addition to (lie Dominion’s income from dairying of over a million and a quarter of money, there is a very substantial inducement to adopt any means which are calculated to double that increase, and it is well within the possibilities to do this, and do it in a reasonable time. The world's record for a cow’s yield is 33,424 lb. of milk, containing 1,058 lb. of butler fat in 305 days. This was achieved by Tilly Aleartra, u ten-year-old American Friesian cow. From an average of Killb. of fat to ],0581b. is a far cry. Of course, the latter may be regarded as phenomenal, and no doubt the lest was made under exceptional conditions of milking and feeding; but the record shows (he possibilities. .Mr Singleton mentions among the reasons lor not securing a better average yield of milk and butter Cat in New Zealand the fact that bulls were not carefully' bred, nor were bulls kept long enough to determine whether their progeny had good butter-fat records. Only 13 per cent, of the bulls of (be country were purebred. Also, a very small proportion of bull calves were reared. Jl is only by systematic and continuous testing that dairy herds, can be improved to the highest point, by retaining only the cows that give the highest results, and using sires from proved milking strains, if the testing business were carried on more widely, said Mr .Singleton, there would bo available a larger number of good butter record sires. He declared that agricultural shows, where there were classes for dairy cows, helped towards the development of good types. Mr Singleton admitted that the campaign tor sylemalic testing had not been so active as it might have been, and ascribed the slackness partly to lack of labour during war time. Possibly this difficulty will pass now the war is over, -til experience and evidence show that there are great opportunities for making more money with fewer cows open to any enterprising dairy farmer by testing out the wasters and breeding constantly from the best available milking strains. The Department is ready to help those willing to help themselves to bring about this result, and active cooperation amongst the farmers for improving their stock is certainly encouraged by the prospect of the 'much greater returns that attention to breeding and selection opens to them.