HERB – TESTING.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 47, 11 September 1924, Page 3

HERB - TESTING.

UNITED ASSOCIATION. Season's Figures. The following- are the returns of the United Herd-testing- Association for the 1923-24 season:—Average yield of best herd, 291.061 b of butterfat in 255.5 days; average yield of worst herd, 97.71 b in 150 days; average yield of association, 214.11 b in 219 days; average yield of best cow in g-roup, 4651 bin 300 days; average yield of worst cow, 551 b in 150 days. The second best cow in the association gave 4.33.91 bin 300 days and the third best 425.91 b in 30S days, while the second worst cow gave 66.91 b in 130 days and the third worst 65.91 b in 114 days. An analysis _of the return shows 57 cows giving over 2001 b of butterfat, 54 over 2501 b, S 3 over 3001 b, 9 over 3501 b and *6 over 4001 b. There were 251 cows tested altogether. This means that 92 cows yielded under 2001 b of fat. Till? SEASON STARTED. The New Zealand Co-op. Herdtesting- Association has started operations tor the season. The three groups of last season, Tirau, Puta-l-ur-u and Pwketurua, have been amalgamated into two strong groups, Tirau and Putaruru, with a view to mak.ng- the testing as economical as possible. Both groups are practically up to the limit strength, namely, 1500 cows each. Mr.- Bretherton is the testing officer for the Tirau group

and does the testing by steam boiler at Mr. J. Lake’s farm. Mr. J. Jtaethel is the testing officer for the Putaruru group, vice Mr. Duncan, who opened the work at Putaruru but has since been transferred to Netherton. -l the Putaruru group the testing- is done on the farms, the officer taking the necessary plant with him. A MATTER OF BUSINESS. In discussing the urgency of herd testing the other day, Mr. C. M. Hume, manager of the New Zealand Herd-testing Association, said that testing cows was exactly the same as a business man having an annual stocktaking in which every branch of his business was closely examined to see which was paying- or which was losing. Obviously the lines on which money was being- lost were cut out and the lines on which money was being- made were extended. The business man who failed to make this investigation every year was bound to lose money in the end, while the man who persisted in keeping a keen check on every detail of his business was bound to succeed and make money. To make the most at dairy farming, said Mr. Hume, every cow should be treated strictly as an individual unit. The day would certainly come when it would pay to consider the special food required by each cow. Just as there was considerable difference between the producing power of individual cows, so there was in consequence an equal difference in the food required by them. HERD TESTING IN BRITAIN. In nearly every country in England and Wales there are now wellestablished and growing in strength from year to year milk-record or herd-testing societies. Last year it is stated that there were .100,000 cows being officially tested in England and Wales. The main success of the movement is declared to be the existence of a central council to which the very great majority of the testing societies are affiliated. The total number of the herds included in the returns of societies affiliated to the central council last year was 2763, comprising 74,672 cows and heifers. The maximum yield of milk of an individual cow was 20,57531 b, and the maximum average yield of milk of one society was 72591 b.