AGE AT CALVING.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 595, 24 December 1920, Page 2

AGE AT CALVING.

Debate on the proper age for first calving is always a fruitful source of discussion among dairymen. One group points to the necessity of proper physical development before the cow begins on the very arduous task of yielding milk through 10 months or more of the year. The other side holds that late calving gives the beef qualities in the cow time to develop, and encourages a tendency towards coarseness in the dairy animal. In terms of ordinary dairying the question turns on which system, in the long run, makes the most money. Docs the production of the mature cow make up for tlie feed put into her during year or two of production in early life of the early culver balance the possible loss in vitality and in long-time average production ? An experiment that has been conducted at an American experiment station throws an interesting light on this question. Tpn cows were includad in the experiment. Five calved* at the average rate of two years and one and four-tenth months. The other five averaged three years and one month at calving time. In the first lactation period, the late calvers produced at nearly double the rate of the early calvers. During the second lactation period the late calvers made a record 60 per cent, greater than the early calvers. In the third period the early calvers made rbout the same record as the late calvers.