DAIRY PRODUCE PRICES.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 117, 21 January 1926, Page 6

DAIRY PRODUCE PRICES.

FAITH IN THE MARKET. “ Notwithstanding the heavy arrivals of dairy produce at Home and the low prices ruling at the present time, it is interesting to note that some of the English houses are making efforts to buy butter shipped or made in January or February,” remarked a dairy company secretary in the Wanganui district (states the Wanganui Chronicle). “This indicates faith in the market, and leads one to think that the market has just about reached bedrock. For some considerable time there have been no offers out, but I -have received two in the past week.” FAVOURABLE CHEESE MARKET. The Cambridge Dairy Co.’s pay -OLI’ for the December supply has been fixed at Is 7d for cheese and Is 2id their herds. If they devoted this money spent on testing towards the purchase of pedigree bulls they would be in a much better position to improve their production within a few years than by testing. Results may not appear to come as quickly, but, he said, given five years with a good bull and cows of only fair quality, he would be able, without testing, to improve a herd up to an average production of 3001 b of butterfat more quickly than the man with a scrub bull but who resorted to testing. In making this statement he said he was talking of Jersey cattle and not of Shorthorns or Holsteins, because, if the quantity of milk is right with the Jerseys, the farmer would know that the test would be fair and the total butterfat quite satisfactory. The more general use of pedigree bulls, said Mr. Harris, would be for the ultimate benefit of the Dominion, and instead of granting subsidies for herd testing, which the Government had, in his opinion, rightly refused, it would be setting up an admirable precedent if the Government gave assistance in the matter of the importation of pedigree bulls into the country. It was a recognised fact that if a bull had good butterfat backing both cn t’he dam’s and sire’s sides the progeny would be of very fair quality even if the bull was mated with cows of low butterfat production. Most farmers of average means could afford to pay a fair price for at least one unit of the herd—a pedigree bull —and ultimate results would pay them handsomely. On the other hand, a scrub bull, with no butterfat backing on either side and in many cases “ ancestry ” unknown or forgotten, the result would not be by any means gratifying even if mating were carried out with fairly-good cows. Relating his own experiences, Mr. (Continued in Next Column.)

Harris said that he had at present three pedigree bulls and he hoped to raise ”the producing standard of his heifers to 501 b of butterfat per month. His last season’s herd of 95 cows, which produced 26,0201 b cf butterfat (a herd average of just under 3001 b of butterfat), was raised and improved upon from a herd of SO which four years ago gave 13,0001 b of fat for the season (an average of under 2001 bof fat). Last season he tested for eight months, his four best cows giving over 4501 b of fat during that period. Had they been tested for the 10 months they were milking the total butterfat would no doubt have shown a considerable increase. During the present season the 92 cows which comprise the herd (including 15 two-year heifei's) gave 1401.61 b of fat for the last 10 days in November with a 4 test. This gave an average of 15.231 b of fat per cow for the 10 days or 45.691 b for 30 days. Mr. Harris has a fine lot of heifers cn his farm and last season some of his two-year-olds under test produced up to 3001 bof butterfat. In raising his own heifers and watching the improvement of his herd Mr. Harris derives a great deal of pleasure, which must come to any man who has his interest centred on the improvement of whatever class of business he enters into. As supplementary feed Mr. Harris has 40 acres of hay and 20 acres of swedes.