FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 44, 1 June 1910, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY

COW-TESTING. Mr. Jas. Burgess, Warea, writes as follows: —In your issue of Thursday last appeared a report (copied from an exchange) of what took place in connection with the subject of cow-testing at the Taranaki Provincial Conference of the NZ.F.U. recently held at Eltliam. Will you kindly allow me to correct one or two small errors that appear in the report? The first is that for 1907-S twentylive cows were tested. This should have been thirty cows. The next is that my weights were never a pound out when compared with the factory manager's, 'inis should have been, my tests were never a point out when compared with the manager's'. These may appear trivial points, but in a matter of such import :'.:i-.-e as testing, I should like to state nothing that is not strict.v accurate. As a matter of fact, after allowing for wlmt milk was used at home, my weights practically coincided with that given by the manager, too. You, Sir, will have noticed that whereas I put the total cost of weighing and testing each cow at five shillings a year, Mr. Mapp gave it as' just half that amount. Although this appears a discrepancy, it. is not really one. Only two a're usually engaged in milking my small herd, and consequently my time (which is ail charged) is not lia.f occupied in weighing and testing. A larger herd, with four or five milkers, could be got through in the same time, thereby reducing this item by half. Again, whiisc 1 weighed on one da)' in every week, in the cases alluded to by Mr. Mapp the weighing was only done on two days in the month. No other means, at so small a cost, will make such an improvement in a dairy herd as ajccurate and . constant wteighing and testing. One hears it said, "I cannot afford- to cull." Can anyone afford to keep cows' that are not paying expenses? Which he certainly is doing unless lie weights' and tests. In the majority of herds the best cows would be found to return to per annuni more than the worst To get rid of the worst and replace with good heifers would not involve a capital outlay of more than £3 a head at the most, and would probably pay fifty per cent., and very likely cent, per cent, on the outlay. Can anyone afford to neglect this? Of course, lor the first two or three years the improvement can only be made at one end—by culling out the worst—but it is wonderful what a difference even this makes, more particularly in the first year. After three or four years, if a pedigree bull of good milking strain has been used, and the heifers from the best cows kept, the improvement of the herd would progress much faster. This raises another point. Any number of pedigree bulls with a greater or less number of prizes to their credit can lie obtained, but to find a breeder who came give complete dairy records of the dam and grand dam of the bull is another matter. Yet this is what is wanted if we are to build up uls with any degree of certainty. Tiie sooiler the agricultural societies and judges recognise this the better will it be for the dairy industry. By records is not meant a week's, or even a month's, .show trial, but accurate records for the whole season. Nothing else is of much use, as everyone wiio has tried it will know. As almost all the milk is sent to dairy factories it appears to me that tne Government might do a great s'ervice to the dairying industry by allowing theninspectors to certify the figures of those who are testing. This need'involve very little trouble or expense. A surprise visit to the milking sheds two or tnree times in the season to check weights and tests', and then a comparison of the weights and tests of the individual with those of the factory ought to be fairly conclusive. If after this a certificate were given to every cow giving, say, 3001bs of butter-fat for the season, and the kind of bull she was bred to, it would make it far easier for anyone wanting to improve his herd to know where to purchase. Feed, shelter and proper handling are all important items', but I believe weighing and testing to be be most important of all, and well worthy the consideration of all dairy factory directors. If the suppliers generally could ibe induced to take it up, in a few years the output would be increased enormously, and the cost of production correspondingly decreased. Weighing and testing lias done wonders in Denmark, and it would do equal wonders for us.' It would bring to the owner's notice at once when anything was wrong with his cows, and' it would add an interest to the monotony of the milkers. Like most new undertakings, testing, before begun, appears a big undertaking, but once started very soon become interesting, until one begins to wonder why lie did not start years ago. Every owner of cows should start it, and it will be surprising if even one will ever repeat having done so. It is stated ibv farmers that there is every probability of a big demand for dairy heifers setting in for the coming spring. A number of farmers, who have not hitherto done so, contemplate taking up dairy farming, while others are increasing their herds. A Wellington dairy farmer states tliat after trying various kinds of cow-covers lie has come to the conclusion that the most satisfactory arc those made of nillined canvas. The lining costs more, and it has no great advantage,as it holds moisture and affords harborage for vermin. The unlined cover, however, needs to be made thoroughly waterproof across the cow's loins, and this was easily done by giving that part of the cover a coat of tar. Thus equipped, his cows had done much better than with damp, heavy j covers, which were never clean.