FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 108, 27 October 1911, Page 2

FARM AND DAIRY

A BUTTER-FAT BULL. • Since cow-testing associations have,, been in existence, much more attention j and thought is being paid by dairy I farmers to the breeding of butter cows. Those desirous of improving their herds will be interested in a Jersey bull which prominent .ler.sey breeders consider to bo the best bred Jersey bull in New Zealand on butter-fat lines.

His name is Stevenson. lie is by Cute Cicero from Grannie, is six years of age, and undoubtedly is blessed with n groat constitution. If .some people object that Jerseys arc not large enough, they will have no fault to find with Stevenson. Though naturally a quiet bull, his opportunities of doing harm (ire reduced by being dehorned. This operation was performed by a former owner who dehorns all of his bulls on principle. Why is Stevenson considered by I judges such a superior butter-fat bull? Just glance at his pedigree, and yon ' will see that firstly he carries more than 75 per cent, of the same blood as the champion cow, Grannie's Girl, whose record of <5871b butter-fat in twelve months has not been approached by any other cow in New Zealand. This alone stamps him the king of butter-fat bulls. But analyse his pedigree closely, and it is easy to see whence the butter-fat comes. Take "firstly his dam, Grannie (nearly 23 years old 'and dropped a heifer calf a few months ago); she milked as high as 631b in one day. When 14 years old she milked 10.8204b in 11 months, and produced lfilb churned butter in seven days from mifk set in pans. Where is there a cow with such a record as this? The, sire of Grannie was Halcombe 11. Little is know of his sire, Halcombe L, hut his dam was the beautiful cow Countess, owned by the late Mr. W. K. Hulke, who said she was the pick of his Jerseys for symmetry, milk and butter yields. Grannie's dam was Fancy, who, like Grannie, was a wonderful cow. Those who remember her say that in her day she probably had no equal as a dairy cow. She died when carrying her eighteenth calf. Every heifer she dropped was a great dairy cow. Lady, a daughter of Sambo, was the most beautiful and best dairy cow in Mrs. Jennis' great herd; indeed, most of our best Jersey cows to-day owe their but-ter-fat qualities to Fancy, The sire of Stevenson is Cue Cicero, a bull which his breeder. Mr. Fred. Cornwall, has a very high opinion of. He was an enormous bodied bull, and had dairy quality written large all over him. He has left some wonderful dairy stock; amongst which may be mentioned Mahoe, a cow owned by Mr. Davidson at Tikorangi. which last season produced over 5001b butter-fat on ordinary herd care and in a herd of 40 cows. Another daughter is Mermaid, owned bv Mr. A. E. Watkins. With her first calf, when less than two years old, she milked 341b daily, and later has milked over 001b daily, never testing below 5 per cent. Mr. Watkins proudly calls her the best cow he has owned. The sire of Cute Cicero is Jersey Boy. and little more may be said of him than that he is the sire of Grannie's Girl, and that his four grandparents are all charged with the blood of the great bull Cicero. Cute Cicero's dam was Ladv Ellen, and she was by Cicero NT., from Jenny. Lady Ellen was a show and dairy cow of high degree. As the dam of' Cute Cicero, the breed owes much to her. but she is also the dam of many good ones, including the cow Jessica, who milk 391b daily with a 5.2 test.

Not only is Stevenson the present King among butter-fat bulls,. but on breeding New Zealand lias never known his equal. Eaeh line in his pedigree is a challenge to the others for supremacy, and eacli line showing its prepotency through the deeds of its children and grandchildren makes it a moral certainty that Stevenson will sire the best, butterfat family yet known to the Dominion. What is he worth to a farmer milking 100 grade cows? To say nothing of a herd of pedigree Jerseys!