THE MAN ON THE LAND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, 27 December 1912, Page 6

THE MAN ON THE LAND.

BREEDING FOR DAIRY PURPOSES At a smoke social held by the Lismore Agricultural Society the evergreen subject of the respective values of various breeds of dairy cattle was dealt with by several of th© judges and visitors (reports th© Sydney Morning Herald). Mr Alf. Gorrie (Queensland) judge in the Jersey and Guernsey group, paid high tribute to the quality of these cattle at the show, which proved, he said, that the district was suitable for the breed. The aged Jersey bulls would be hard to heat in any part of Australia. The cows were in good milking condition, and not over fat. He had always held that on good land and dear land the Jersey was the best cow to keep. The Australian breed of cattle (the Illawarras) 04 ©Auq ppio.w jfeq'4 4480044 04 404 but he thought htey would have to go from high-priced land like the Richmond. Mr Paten (Ipswich) said that theAyrshire section was much better than he had expected. The Jerseys held sway to-day, but the Ayrshire and Illawarra would still hold their own. Mr G. Tate (Kangaroo Valley) said that • while there were a few good Shorthorns, most of them showed the effects of dry weather. In reply to Mr Gorrie’s statement he held that there was no best breed, but the farmers had to suit cattle to their districts. When he saw the farmers here flying about in their, motor cars he could not help thinking that the good old Illawarra cattle had helped them theje. (Laughter.) Mr O’Callagban, Government Dairy Expert, said that the greatest development had been in Jerseys, because the Jersey breeders were keener than the others. Mr Tate had struck the right note when he said there was no best breed. . Last week be had tested some cattle, and he saw there some Shorthorns as good as the world had seen, and they were Australian Shorthorns at that. (Applause.) Different men find that different animals suit them best, and they have common sense to adapt themselves to the sort that best suits them. The improvement in breed of the milch cow in New South Wales had added about a million pounds annually to the value of the herds. When the farmers not only kept pure bred, but tested those pure breeds, and the Government was lending their officers to make those tests free, they would still further increase the yield, and give New South Wales an advantage over the other States. The selection could now be carried out more stringently than in the past. The period during which it was necessary to provide fodder was lengthening in the district, and sooner nr later provision would have to lie made.