FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 176, 30 August 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

THE COW ON TRIAL. ACTION IN THE WAIRARAPA. Mr. D. Cuddle, Dairy Commissioner, and Mr. William Single-ton met dairy farmers at Carterton on Saturday, and laid before tliem a proposal to test dairy herds in order to enhance profits and strengthen the dairying position generally. It was explained by Mr. Cnddie that there were a great many worthless | oows, and these should be found out and eliminated. There were also some which returned a profit, but not the profit they should. Jn raising the standard, both by elimination and breeding, it was absolutely necessary that the milkshould be weighed and put to the Babcock test. New Zealand should take a lesson from other countries, In Denmark, where the system started, the Government spent £203,000 per annum on educational and'experimental work, and a very large amount of this money was spent on assisting co-operative testing and other associations. The testing societies received State assistance to the extent of from a quarter to one-half of the cost. The first association was established in 1895, and now there were 470 associations, having 10,737 membe's, who owned 183,1)18 eows. In one district where the testing was universal there were 30,821 cows, which now had an average of 73881b of milk of an average Of 2501b of butter-fat. Yet they Tiad people in New Zealand who declared there was nothing in testing cows. The Agricultural Department was anxious to establish the first association in the Wairarapa because it was near to headquarters, and they could give it special attention, for the success of its movement depended largely On the success of the first edort. It was desired to secure considerable data, and thus it was necessary to follow the work up as closely as possible. They wanted to secure 500 tofflOO cows in the association. ' It would be necessary for the farmer to weigh the milk of each cow every fortnight, record the weight. ;:nJ take a sample and send forward Llie samples to a centre once a month. It was considered that weighing the milk and taking the samples for two days a month would be sufficient—that would be the minimum. The whole expease to the farmer •would be the cost of a spring balance, test bottles, and a email ease for the carriage of the samples, not amounting to more than 8d ,per cow. The dairy factory work had been brought to a very payable point, the work being generally conducted on approved and economical principles. It remained for them now" to place the herds on a better feoting. Mr. Singleton also addressed the meeting, showing that although a farmer might have a shrewd idea as to the cows of h j !- hrrrl, he could not positively say wlri-li '.vi'i-i' befst until they were tested. If.- hii'tawed a case of two Guerhsey heifer- of exactly the same breeding and in the same herd. One was eight years old, the other ten. Both calved on the same day. At the end of the Tear it was found that one had produced 34411) of fat, the other 110Vi.l,b. There was only a difference in cost of production of 4 1 /.d, so that one returned a profit of over £l3, the other a profit of 18s; or the one cow produced as much net profit as would 12% cows of the other type. It was generally found that the cow which produced "the largest amount of butter-fat in the year generally produced it at the cheapest rate. The meeting, after passing a vote of thanks to Messrs. Cnddie and Singleton, promised sufficient support to warrant the establishment of the testing association on a strong basis.

The T. L. .Toll Co-operative Dairy Company have paid suppliers this season an average of Is t)'/ 8 d during the butter and cheese making, and a honus of i/.d, amounting to about £4OOO, is shortly to lie distributed.

A Manaia fanner lost six good daily cows the other day through overfeeding on mnngnl<U (says the Witness). The animals were four-year-olds, the pick of the herd, .and in fine condition, representing the value of at least £SO. They were dead in the paddock within twelve hours of the overloading. In reply to a question by a Manav.itu -Standard representative a few days ago, Mr. D. Cuddio, Dairy Commissioner, said the Department' hoped • o cany oni cow-testing throughout the Dominion. They would first see how the movement "took on" at Dalefield, which place had been selected on account ol its proximity to headquarters. They would give the movement a trial in that centre first, and if it proved a success there they would carry out similar work all over the colony. Mr. Cuddic said the movement tois being entered info enthusiastically by the fairy farmers of Dalefield, and it was fully anticipated the dairy herds would show great imj rovement as a result of the testing. It is possible the T. L. Joll Co-opcya-live Dairy Company will make cheese (luring the coming season, and consign, not sell, like last year. The Rivcrdale Company may decide on butter-making.