A Jersey Record

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 514, 17 November 1928, Page 25

A Jersey Record

AMERICA’S CHAMPION COW In an ancient hillside barn which nestles in the Hoosac Mountains in Northern Massachusetts, the line old Jersey cow Abigail of Hillside has completed the greatest Jersey record of all time. The record which this cow has made has not only broken all previous records, but it exceeds all other official tests by such a great margin that it has established a new standard of production. t Starting this test when she was eight years and six months of age, .Abigail produced 1,197.511 bof butterfat and 23,6771 bof milk in 365 days. With this record she supersedes Darling’s Jolly Lassie, which held the national championship with her junior four-vear-old record of 1,141.281 bof butterfat and 16,4251 bof milk, in class AA. Lassie’s test is still a record for all breeds in her age class. Abigail also supersedes Postmistress, the English Jersey cow, which recently set a new world record for milk production with her yield of 21,03151 bof milk, and she also surpasses the record of Wagga Gladys an Australian cow, which has a record of 1.149,381 b butterfat and 20,8351 b of milk. It can be seen from these figures that Abigail of Hillside is firmly established as the highest producing Jersey cow in the world. Abigail is owned and was bred and tested bv Mr John T. Carpenter, at Hillside Jersey Farm, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. She has been tested on four separate lactations, and this is the second time thafc. she has made a thouand pound record. Beside being world champion for both milk and butterfat production she is, in addition, he only Jersey cow with two records averaging more than 11001 b of butterfat All the circumstances connected vith Abigail are such that her achievements will always command the greatest respect of all who admire good livestock.

In the latest test, as well as in the previous ones, Abigail, was eared for in a very practical way. She is the only cow in this herd that has been milked three times a day during the past year, otherwise her record was made under conditions almost identical to those under which the other cows in the Hillside farm herd are tested. She was fed a commercial open formula dairy ration which consisted of the following ingredients: 3801 b corn gluten feed, 3401 b choice yellow hominy, 3201 b linseed meal, 12601 b ground oats, 2001 b bran, 1401 b cotton seed meal. 1001 b eorn distillers’ dried grains, 1001 b pollard. 1001 b molasses, 201 b steamed bone meal. 201 b calcium carbonate, 201 h salt: total mixture, 30001 b. Beet pulp was also used. Abigail was never off feed during the test, and she consumed this mixture with apparent relish. The ration was not varied throughout the test, and it evidently met all the requirements for consistent high production. o-'. . - Those who have seen Abigail agree that this cow impresses one in a wav that is a little hit difficult to explain. She does not appear to he. a large cow, although she is rather long and weighs in the neighbourhood of 10501 b. Her udder is almost perfect, even after the four high records that she has completed. A glance will show that the udder is well balanced and carries a network of small veins. It is a remarkable milk vessel, for over 80,0001 b of milk has passed through it in Abigail’s lifetime. Quality and efficiency are terms which most nearly describe this most extraordinary animal. During the vear her test was supervised bv 17 different supervisors from eight States on 33 different occasions. \lanv of these supervisions were four days in length. She was started on her test on twice a day milking, but when her yield reached 701 b a day it was thought advisable to milk her three times. Her record is the highest of all breeds on three times a day milking. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of this new record is that it was apparently made with no unusual effort on Abigail's part. There was nothing secret or mysterious about the ration that she was fed, and she maintained her phenomenal yield witli such ease that the record did not appear to be r spectacular one to those who were watching the coav. She was actually on test for 13 months, and in computing her record the first month’s production was discarded, for her yield in the 13th month was greater than in the first 30 days. This is a remarkable example of Tersev persistency. Her total yield fot 13 months was 1.279.531 b of buiterfaf and 25.3241 bof milk. On the last day of ’.hr test, or 13 months after calAdng <he gave *l4*lb c* SHOW DATES - ShoAV dates of interest to readers of < these columns are as folloAvs: — I November 14 and 15 —Egmont (Hawera). j November 16 and 17—Waikato. November 21 and 22 —Stratford. November 21 and 22—Otago. November 23 and 24—Auckland. November 23 and 24—Nelson. November 27 and 28—Thames Valley. November 28 and 29 —AVhangarei. December s—Paeroa. December 11 and 12—Southland. January 23 and 24—Rangitikei. January 26—AVaitemata. February f> and 6—Fielding:. February 8 and 9—Woodville. February 9—Clevedon. February 9—Rodney. February 9—Upper Wairoa. February 12 and 13—Dannevirke. February 15—Pahiatua.' February 16 —Northern Wairoa. February 19 and 20—Masterton. February 20—Whakatane. February 21—North Kaipara. February 26—Matamata. February 27—Marton. March 6 and 7—Taranaki. March 6 and 7—Waikato Central. March 7—Towai. Secretaries of A. and P. slioavs are ! requested to forAvard dates of their j lixtures for insertion in this column ' addressed to the “Agricultural Editor, ! The Sun.” 1 WOOL SALE DATES The following is the calendar of avoo! sales for the 1928-29 season: 192S — November 16—Wellington. November 20—Napier. November 23—Wanganui. November 26—Auckland. December 3—Christchurch. December 7—Wellington. December * 12—Napier. December 17—Timaru. December 21—Dunedin. 1929 January 7—Christchurch. January 12—Wellington. January IS—Napier January 23—Wanganui. January 31—Invercargill. * February s—Dunedin. February S—Timaru. February 13—Christchurch. February 19—Wellington. February 23—Auckland. February 27—Wanganui. March 4—Napier. March B—lnvercargill. March 12—Dunedin. March 15—Christchurch. March 20—Wellington. • I