COW-TESTING ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 17, 14 July 1911, Page 3

COW-TESTING ASSOCIATION.

MEETINU AT KAUPOKONUI. BENEFITS OK TESTING. J STRIKING ILLUSTRATIONS.

A meeting of the Kaupokonui CowTesting Association was held at Manaia on Tuesday afternoon to hear an address from Mr. W. M. Singleton, Assistant Director of Dairy Produce in the Agricultural Department, „ Mr. Singleton said that many of those present would Temcmbcr that alxrnt a year ago he had met the suppliers of the Kaupokonui factory with a view to starting a Cow-Testing Association. The directors had kindly granted them permission to use their testing room, Babcock tester, and steam, and a. number of suppliers had volunteered eomething like 1700 cows for the purposes of testing, they agreeing to weigh and sample the milk of those cows on two out of ea*-h HO day periods throughout the reason. This work had been carried out during the past season a 6 arranged. Tlit: average cow had given up to the present some 57001bs of milk and 22011)8 of butter-fat. This was a fair average, but admitted of improvement. The average cow in the best herd had produced 78501bs of milk, consisting of 3201bs of butter-fat, and the arerage cow in the worst herd had given 42401bs of milk, and 1601bs of butter-fat. The difference .between the best and the worst equalled about IGOlbs of butterfat per cow, which at Is per lb was worth' £B. This variation meant a material difference in the net profit per cow in these two herds. The best cow in the four associations run by the Department this year was to be found in the Kaupokonui Association. This cow had yielded 11,7401bs of milk, from which 507.101bs of butter-fat bad been extracted. .Tests brought the question ot dairy temperament to the fore in a way that nothing else could. A man Tealised that a cow must be of such a dairy temperament to milk 9 or 10 months in a season. If a cow went dry after milking 7 or 8 months it meant a loss of about 7011>s of butter-fat, which was worth at Is per lb £3 10s. But if they wanted a cow to milk 9 or 10 months tlhey must give attention to feeding her during the off season so that she will calve in good condition. An Irishman had once said that he got more milk I from his cows when they were dry than when they were milking, and though this (seemed absurd, he was not far wrong. The tests not only emphasised the value of winter feeding, but they brought hi'ine the necessity of summer feeding, | which is becoming a matter of vital im- ] portanoe. On a 30-eow herd there might easily be a drop in the total butter- f at yield of 1701bs, which meant a consid, :■- able loss. The care of the dairy cai. I was a point that 'dairy farmers might well give more attention to. He had j yet to find one of the highest producing j herds amongst cows that were not quiet. \ If dairymen could only 6ee in £ s. d. what they lost from want of careful handling of their stock, they would be appalled. ■ The question of quantity of milk as against the percentage of but-ter-fat was another matter of great importance. Farmers were apt to give the test too much attention, to the neglect of the. quantity of milk produced. The test had" a very marked influence on the quantity of butter-fat, but every practical farmer know that he was getting the best result* when he was getting the largest quantity of milk. To illustrate the unprofitableness of poor cows. Mr. Singleton first took two cases. One cow milked 233 days, and produced 2331b. of butter-fat, which, at Is per lb., was worth £l2 15s. This cow had not finished milking. A second cow milked for 240 days, and gave 1331b. of butter-fat, which, at Is per lb., was worth £0 13s. For the sake of illustration, he said, let the annual charge to the owner for a dairy cow be set down at £B. Opinions differed on this question, but it was as near the mark as they could get. On the first cow there was a net profit of £4 15s, while on the other there was a lo6s of £1 7s. In another case a cow milked for 314 days, and gave 5171bs of butter-fat, which was worth £25 17s. Deducting the £8 expenses, there was a net gain of £l7 17s. Another cow milked 210 days, and gave 1021b» of butter-fat, worth £8 2s, which meant a profit on his computation of expense of 2s. A man would need about 175 of these kind of cows to get the results obtainable from the one cow he had just mentioned. Another matter of great interest in connection with tfae tests was the selection made by farmers of the eight best cows in their herds. They wanted to see what the judgment of tfic average dairyman was like. A number selected good" cows, but none had selected as one of his best a cow Hurt gave 2091hs of butter-fat, but he did not select another which gave about lOOlbs more, and the difference between these two cows was represented by £4 18s. The owner of this last cow was on the verge of selling her for £lO, when he received the result of the test. Now she was not for sale. Another farmer selected a cow giving 1791bs of butterfat, and passed over one that gave 3331 be. Here there was a difference of 1541b5, equal to £7 14s. The owner of a Holstein thought of selling for about £2 10s, also her heifer calf. H» discovered by the tests that she was •■« of the best cows in kis herd, and £ls would not buy her to-day. Tests had shown that one cow gave in 35 days 141bs of butter-fat, another 281bs in 55 days, and another 581bs in 121 days. Such results showed what cowg to cult out. The right milking strain was «f more importance than the purity of the breed, but he bettered that if a farmer could get both he would be willing to pay almost any money. The testing enabled a farmer to select the best calves for his future herd and this was worth more to him than 10 times the whole cost of tasting. It also created a great interest in the boy on the farm, and would be an inducement to him to remain there. He condemned the system of culling by the weight of milk at the beginning of the season. One- cow had given 451bs of milk at the flush of the season, and 2(i4lbs of butter-fat for the full period. Another cow gave 341bs of milk at the flush and 3451bs of butterfat for the season. In order that thev might get at the worth of a cow they must take the quantity of milk and the quality together. Mr. Singleton said they hoped to continue testing for Kaupokonui next season provided they would (rot the same consideration from the factory directors and sufficient cows to test.

Offers to provide, nearly 1000 cows wore almost immediately handed in, an 4 none of last year's were included. Dairymen appeared to be quite eager to assist in continuing the work of the association, and Mr. Barleyman was of the opinion that 3000 cows would be available if the Department could handle them all.—Abridged from Hawera Star.