BUTTER-FAT COMPETITION

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 35, 10 February 1913, Page 3

BUTTER-FAT COMPETITION

A LESSON IN GREEN FEED. Tj'he Hawke’g Bay Tribune, published at Hastings, describes an interesting test as fpllows:— Tile Heretaunga Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., have just been holding a competition amongst their suppliers for a prize of ten shares in the company. The result has proved satisfactory, and shows that the supplier who works his farm so as to have an abundance of green feed when the grass starts to dry up is the man -who is going to make dairying pay in this part of the Dominion. The competition for five cows and over was won by Mr James Barry, who milks twelve cows on his farm in Norton road, -The cows are all Shothorn breed, and four of the herd have been in milk for ,nine months. He fed, on green red clover and lucerne, which Mr Barry reckons is as good an artificial, feed as can be obtained. From the twelve cows for the month of January he delivered 10,8201 b of milk, which at his average test of just about 4.3, turns out 458.31 b of butter-fat, which at lid per lb returned Mr Barry £2O 19s lOd, the average per cow being 38.11 b butter-fat, or £1 14s 10d per cow. This, when we take into consideration that four cows had been milking tor nine months, is a very handsome return. The other suppliers were considerably below Mr Barry, but in all cases the returns show us that green feed at this time of the year is essential to the dairy farmer. In the second, competition for less than five cows, Mr Paynter was the successful competitor. He milks one cow, and delivered 11141 b of milk, which at his average test of about 4.7, -returned 52.81 bof butter-fat, which at lid per lb is worth £2 7s Bd. This is a really good return, but of course this is a picked cow, and received the best of attention. The other suppliers in the competition wore all close to Mr Paynter.