MILK PRODUCTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 158, 21 November 1912, Page 7

MILK PRODUCTION.

BUTTER-FAT AND CASEIN. INTERESTING COMPET.TION AT HAWERA. ■Considerable interest was taken in the two competitions, viz., the champion butter-fat competition and also that for the best cow for supply a cheese factory, at thu ITavvera Show yesterday. In this latter, both butter-fat and casein were taken into consideration, casein being taken as equal to butter-fat in judging the value. The same nine cows were entered in each class, the competitions being held under the supervision of the Dairy Commissioner and staff. Pour days' milk was taken, and points were computed as follows, cne-tenth of a point for every pound of milk and 25 points for every pound of butter-fat. She highest under this test was adjudged the winner of the butter-fat competition. For the best cheese cow the total butter-fat produced was added to the total casein. A feature of the test was the fact that the same cows were placed in the first three positions in each. Mr. Nowell's Perfection proved a ratk«r «aiy winner. She is an aged cow, being 13 or 14 years old, and is a Holstein-Jersey cross. Her eight milkings realised 33, 34, 32, 37, 32, 35, 30 and 30 pounds respectively. Her test was 4.0. The second prize-winner was also a JerseyHolstein cross. This cow won the competition last year. 'The third animal was a Jersey-Ayrshire cross. Detailed results:—

BUTTER FAT COMPETITION.

BUTTER-FAT AND CASEIN.

Speaking subsequently to a. Daily News reporter, Mr. N. Fulton, dairy inspector, and practically a specialist in herd-test-ing, referred to the competition and certain aspects of it. He remarked that whereas a win of this kind over a 1 shortperiod test was meritorious, it did.not prove the actual value of the winning cow as a member of a dairy herd. .But it should stimulate the interest of the owners of the prize eows in the production of milk and butter-fat, and should move them to subject their cows to a long-period test. There was no need, he said, for farmers to go to the State farms to see top-notch cows, although, of course, they were there. There were plenty of top-notch cows on the average Taranaki dairy farm, but they had not been individualised as yet. There were splendid purcbreds, and splendid grades. Now, if the farmer would only get to know which was his best cow, or which were his best cows —and the means of so doing were now at hand for him' to apply—and' then procure the best purebred hull obtainable, of a good milking strain, ho would be on the right lines for the building up of a good dairy herd, and in a few years would be able- to build up a complete herd of high-pro-ducing cows. The weakness was that farmers would not bother to individualise the values of their cows, but these show competitions would doubtless have the effect of encouraging owners to go in for a long-period test, which could be done by means of a herd-testing association. "It is worth while to note," continued Mr. Fulton, "the marvellous way in which good eows respond to the good feed in the paddocks sot aside for these competitions, and this should stimulate farmers to 'spoon feed' their cows a bit. Tt is like putting money on the winning racehorse. The more you have on it the more you get. So the better you treat your cow. the better returns she will give. Of course, some cows never will be even earners under the best conditions, hut testing will result in culling these out. Then the farmer will have better returns from fewer cows, with less hibor. They will have the experience, so general at these competitions, of having to get a second bucket to'hold the milk given at each meal." Mr. Fulton, who is a veal enthusiast in this work, then referred to the fact that the winning cow had given 2(i3lb of milk in four days, or over Cslb per day. containing in all 10.521b of fat. For a 30 days' period she should give 781b of fat. which, at Is per lb, was worth €3 ISs. This was on a 4.0 test. The second prize cow gave only 1701b of milk, but it gave a 5.0 test, giving just on 7511) of fat in 30 days. Comparisons were made to show that farmers should not confine themselves to getting a high test, for the winner here was not a high tester; nor to getting a big quantity of milk, for in this case the cow giving onlv about three-quarters of the winning cow'.-, milk scored within half a pound of the butter-fat contest in four days. Certainly these figures can be made very interesting in the hands of an expert, and farmers should make a point of seeing Mr. Fulton if they can manage it.

1 ■ lbs milk. per cent, fat lbs fat. points.

V. W. Howell's (Hawcra) Perfection 2C3 4.0 10.52 289.3 A. H. Foy's Biddy. 179 5.G 10.02 268.4 Fred Mills' (Toka205 4.0 9.43 250.2 J. S. Short (Okaiawa) Elsie .... 215% 3.9 8.40 231.5 G. W. Parfit-t's (Ararata) 193 4.4 8.49 231.5 H. J. Amburv's (Hawera) Poll}'. 200 4.0 8.00 220.0 J. S. .Short (Okaiawa) Xellie 156 4.0 7.17 194.8 C. Goodson (Ha- . 154 4.0 0.16 109.4 Mrs. E. E. Duke's (Hawera) Tiny. 138 4.4 6.07 165.5

V. W. Howell's Perfection. .. .. 263 2.0 6.83 10.52 17.35 A. H. Foy's Biddy, . . 179 3.0 5.37 10.02 15.39 Fred. Mills' Judy . . 205 2.9 5.94 9.43 15.37 J. S. Short's Elsie .. 2i5y 2 2.8 6.03 8.40 14.43 . . 200 2.8 5.60 8.00 13.00 C. W. Parfitt's Ararata . 193 2.6 5.01 8.49 13.50 J. S. Short's Nellie .. 150 3.0 4.G8 7.17 11.85 . . 154 2.8 4.31 6.10 10.47 .. 138 2.8 3.86 6.07 9.93

lbs milk. per cent, casein lbs casein. lbs fat. Total lbs casein & fat.