BUTTER-FAT COMPETITION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 81, 5 December 1913, Page 5

BUTTER-FAT COMPETITION.

THE SHOW COMPETITION. A very general opinion is that clasi Kid needs revision. The rules of the competition are as follows; For cows and heifers, in milk, in competition at show, irrespective of breed.—The prizes to he awarded to the cows and heifers giving the highest amount of butterfat from two milk-, ings, viz., the morning and evening’s milk on December 3rd, 1913, first day of show. All animals to be milked out under supervision the night before. Exhibitors to produce, saisfactory proof that this lias been done. It is advanced against the competition that it is properly not an exact test. Reference to the tabulated returns will show that the first milking shows a very much less test than the second milking. Many of those who saw the returns posted on the pen yesterday were surprised at the great variation shown ; but the variation i« not hard to explain. Previous to the first milking the cows are not milked for a long period, and it is easy to believe that this will have some effect on the milk production. Cows will not milk well if they are beaten, if they are run too much or if they are badly treated in anv way.

A charge would not lie m the Magistrate’s Court if a person were charged with cruelty to animals for the reason that he failed to milk a cow at the appointed time; but the fact remains that it is actual and veritable cruelty to animals to fail to milk a cow at the appointed regular period. It is bad enough in the case of the ordinary “barndoor” cow; and it must be worse in the case of the highly bred and carefully tended beasts which are entered in the competition. The competition demands that the beasts be abused to a certain extent, in that thev are kept for too long a period before the first milking. Xo less than beating or illtreatment, it is cruelty to interrupt the milking periods, and it is foolish to expect that beasts which are interrupted in their periods can do the best they are capable of. It is undoubted that the periods must be regular; and the conclusion is, therefore, forced that the competition is very probably not a fair test of the actual capabili-* ties of the cow.

For Cows and Heifers, in milk, in competition at show, irrespective of breed.—The prizes to he awarded to the cows and heifers giving the highest amount of butterfat from two milkings, viz., the morning and evening’s milk on December 3rd, 1913, first day of show. All animals to be milked out under supervision the night before. Exhibitors to produce satisfactory proof that this ' has been done. —J. C. Montefiore,' Hawera, 1 ; A. E. Wafckfnv Okaiaw a, 2; W. I. Lovelock, Palmerston, 3. t% „„, The following are the particulars of the competition:—

Yesterday’s complete prize-list will be found on page 8.

lbs. Morning. Butte ]. r lbs veiling. Butter Total lbs Total lbs . X;i me. milk Test. fat. nilik Test. fat milk. butter fat. J. C. Mouteliore 39$ 5. 1.976 18$ 8.3 1.535 58 3.51 ’ First Prize A. E. Watkins 34* 4.3 1.4 62 18 $ 6.7 1.239 52$ 2.70] Second Priz — * Lovelock ... m 3.2 1.36 14 i 8.3 1.203 57 2.563 Third Prize. F. Tecofsky ... 38 2.8 1.064 20 5.8 1.16 58 2.224 , * . > y 20$ 4.9 1.004 9$ 7.3 .693 30 1.697 H. Johnson ... 23 $ 2.6 .611 18 8.3 1.494 41 i 2.105 22 3 .66 11 9.1 1.001 33 1.661 — Montgomery 34 $ 2.9 1.00 16$ 6.6 1.089 51 •2.089 J. Davidson ... 30 4. 1.20 18$ 4.6 .851 48$ 2.051 G. Smart 28$ 3.2 .912 17 6.6 1.122 45$ 2.034 - R. f)inglo JK, gangster Not 23 3.1 milked,' .73 12 8. .96 35 1.673 •