INCREASED PROFITS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 212, 26 November 1927, Page 27 (Supplement)

INCREASED PROFITS

HERD-TESTING RESULTS CONVINCING FIGURES The immense strides made in herdtesting during the past five years were traced by Mr. C. M. Hume, manager of the New Zealand Herd-Testing Association, at the annual meeting the New Zealand Friesian Association held in Christchurch recently. Starting with 6,900 cows under Its control in the first year, stated Mr. Hume, the next year it had 31,000 cows linked up with the movement in the third year 38,000 and last year, the fifth year, the numbers were over 70,000. This year about 80,000 cows would be tested. During the five years the association had been working, Ihe majority of the herds in the AN aikato had been tested. Mr. Hume fully explained the calf- marking scheme, ana h© urged upon pedigree breeders the desirability, even necessity, of seeing that the supply of purebred bulls with butter-fat backing was kept up to the ever-increasing demands of the danjfarmer. , Last season of 1,432 herds that weie tested, over 72 per cent, of these herds had one or more pedigree bulls in use. In the first year of the calf-marking scheme, 631 heifer calves were marked and this season they to mark 4,000. Mr. Hume said there were too many pedigree bulls from untested dams, and he urged all breeders of pedigree dairy cattle to Make the fullest use of the official herdtesting scheme recently established by the dairy division. . Mr. W. M. Singleton director ot tne dairy division of the Department of Agriculture, spoke of the §xeat increase in production which naa ioilo%ved the establishment of testing in the department in 1909. In 1909-10 the average production was about 1411 b. fat per cow per year, while to-day the average, including a dairy cows, both in milk and dry.was 2001 b. fat. This season the Official Herd-Testing scheme had been established and about 100 breeders ot Pedi" gree stock had cows under that test. In reply to a question, Mr. Singleton said tho average production Per year in Denmark was about —Ol • fat, so that New Zealand was not iar behind that leading dairying countr> ©f the world.