JERSEY BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1919, Page 7

JERSEY BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of tlie New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breeders' Association was held in the Soldiers' Club yesterday. There was. an attendance of about eighty and Mr Cyril Dermer (president) occupied the chair. A number of apologies for absence were received. The president intimated that those whose subscriptions were six months in arrears were not entitled to vote. In moving the adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet which were taken as read, the president said: "It is most gratifying to me to be able to report to you that there has been a great increase in the work done by the Association for its members and other Jersey breeders of the Dominion. The increase in registrations has been continuous and the work done by the office surpassed by far that done ;n any previous year, so much so in fact that it was found necessary to engage an assistant. There are now over 9100 pedigrees of females and of over GSoO males recorded in the books of ti.e Association, white the transfers show an increase of 174' bulls and 490 cows over the figures for the preceding year. As regards the finances I may flay that £2350 is bearing j . interest which, during the year totalled £BS 5s lid and £4OO of which is invested in war loan certificates will at maturity be worth £SOO.

The report stated that a large amount of unnecessary correspondence and extra work was entailed by the careless manner in which some members forwarded their correspondence. Continuing, the president dealt with semi-official cowtesting. SEMI-OFFICIAL TESTING. In the first place," he said, "I wish to say I am very much disappointed with the number of our members who are testing cows, as apparently only 15 per cent of them are of the opinion that testing is of any value. In fact the present percentage of testing members is lower now than it was three years back when it was 17 per cent; therefore the testing of Jersey cows is in a most undeveloped state and needs stimulating by greater enthusiasm amongst breeders, who, sooner or later will be forced to realise that only by proving the capacity of their cows will they be able to satisfactorily dispose of their surplus stock. If all Jersey breeders were like those who do not test, what would be the position' of the Jersey in the dairy world to-day? Could she hold her own against the keen competition of other, breeds whose producing qualities are being continually demonstrated in a far more scientific and common sense manner than those of the majority of Jersey cows under test in the Dominion to-day? I am afraid not, as I am convinced that Jersey breders are amongst the poorest feeders in the dairy business and I have crime to this conclusion aftet studying the performances of our cows, the great majority of which, I feel confident are capable of producing considerably larger amounts than their records show. I know of two instances where enthusiastic breeders purchased what were considered to be very ordinary cows, but under good treatment and liberal feeding these cows are putting up performances which are quite a credit to their owners and to the breed. You will thus see that in my opinion the average production of our cows is not nearly equal to their capacity if handled and fed in a generous manner. By this I do cot mean to say that they should be fed on highly concentrated foods which are dangerous in the hands of toy but experts. Here I must stress the point that if good records are to be wade it ia absolutely essential that cows must be in good condition prior to parturition, and not to be started on test on what is-often termed ordinary herd conditions, which means in the majority of cases that they are so low in condition through starvation and neglect that it is impossible that they can do themselves justice. No cow can build up her body and at the same time do the work of which she is capable, if started on test under such circumstances. I know of no cow that made a high record that was not in good form prior to starting her test. I do not pretend to be ab'e to give you any scientific feeding formula, as any records of oows tested by me were made under what I term liberal treatment, which means that they were fed on small quantities of bran daily with an abundant supply of young grass, green oats, roots and hay. To mc the term "ordinary herd treatment" is always a source of annoyance, as it is only a comparative term which cannot be understood until one realises the capacity, as a breeder and feeder, of the person who uses it. J have found it used only by those whose methods of feeding are the most primitive imaginable and whose cows are making records of which they have no reason to be proud. The average production of our cows could be considerably increased if breeders would give the matter of feeding more attention and I feel confident that we could thus easily put-distance ' any other breed in the matter of high! semi-official records. I would also point out that the standard, production of the breed is fixed by its semi-official records, and that anything that will tend to in' crease its average production must be worthy of 'serious consideration by us all. Haying said so much on one side of the question I will how express my foil appreciation of the work accomplished by those members who realise the benefits accruing . from the good treatment of their cattle, and who have made history for the Breed in this. Dominion* « These men haye not only reaped direct rewards, and will continue to do so through securipjj; higher prices for their cattle, but have made 1 the average production of our cows what it ief. today, vj*. ~40188 lbs in. ,340.days, aoa average that could not have been attained by "ordinary herd treatment," By assisting themselves financially they have also assisted to advance the general interest in the breed and I am sure you wilj-. agree with me thai they are fully entitled to any credit that may be due ttf/ihem. While admitting that the productive qualities of our cows is the most essential point in I am of the opinion .that type and breed characteristics must also be taken into consideration. Without these we have no objective in view and the endeavor of every breeder should be to combine these qualifications which make up the ideal Jersey of to-day. The real object in breeding is to combine these qualities in succeeding generations. I am not prepared to make any suggestions as to the methods to be employed to accomplish this end as so far as I can learn.science can lay down ao formula that.is of any definite value. It is probably a mittter for' 1 the individual breeder to solve for .hjbtyself,' iiid if .he -has the intuitive knowledge of « ma«ter breeder there is sill swweed in ftttflflamfigh-1

ing the end in view; if he is just an ordinary breeder his chance of success is most limited. In my address from 'the Chair a few years back I made the prediction that, notwithstanding the great demand for beef cattle, in a few years' time the demand for Jersa-ys would be greater than it ever was before. It is hardly necessary for me to tell you that I am more than pleased that my prediction, has come true, as evidenced by the great demand and the high prices ruling for Jerseys to-day. I feel safe in further predicting that so long as milk is paid for by it's fat content alone, or by it's fat and combined solids contents, the Jersey will more than continue to hold her own as the most profitable dairy cow in the estimation of the intelligent dairy farmers of this Dominion. In conclusion, I have to express my thanks to the council with which I have been associated during my term of office, for the support they have given me and for the attention they have devoted to the affairs of tlie Association during the year, and also of my appreciation of the work of the secretary in his conduct of the business of the office and continued enthusiasm shown for all Jersey interests. I now move the adoption of the report and balance-sheet which will be open for discussion, when the motion is seconded, and would ask you to please observe th) rules of debate and to keep to the point under discussion." The motion wag seconded by Mr. Lepper. , MORE PUBLICITY URGED.

It was pointed out that the publishing of books meant an annual recurring loss owing to the cost of printing exceeding tlije price afwhieh the books were sold to members. A member said he did not think the o.ssociation was given sufficient publicity in the papers of New Zealand. He suggested advertising. He understood that there was now £3OOO in hand, and he would like to know the ultimate use to which this money was to be put. The president said they hoped to have their own offices and also had some thought of appointing a fields inspector. Mr Jones said a stagnation policy was being adopted. He would like to see the association continuing to Tent offices which cost £6l per annum, and the money in hand could be spent in improving the breed of herds. DEPLORABLE IGNORANCE. Mr. Ronald Hill, referring to the suggestion that a fields inspector should be appointed, said it was not the farmers, but the townspeople who needed education. Their ignorance was deplorable. Instances were given by the speaker to show that even townspeople who were supposed to be well educated had very erroneous ideas about the conditions* under which the fanner worked, and hs pointed out that, as a result of tht» prevailing -ignorance, tlie farmer was misrepresented and the conditions made harder for him. The feeling that he is doing much better than he is led to increased taxation. Dealing with the president's remarks on semi-official cow testing, Mr. Hill said that the position disclosed went to show that it had proved a. failure. Had farmers been satisfied that it was a good thing they would have 1 continued it.

A member said he considered semiofficial eow testing was beneficial, but it applied more to the big breeders. To get a high test an owner sometimes spent as much on a cow as he got out oi her. If he was testing as a breeder he would not care if his butter-fat cost him 2s per lb. Though he was not availing himself of the semi-official test, h# tested his cows privately and knew what they could do. As an instance of what feeding and conditions meant to the butter-fat, he stated that he had 72 cows, which averaged 277J lbs of butterfat. The cows were sold, and the following season, as a result of the changed conditions, the average dropped to 200 lbs. Mr. Banks favored testing which would show the farmer where to get his stock from. As for the treatment of the cows, the food could all be grown on the farm and the additional price received for the butter-fat would pay for the increased cost of feeding. Mr. Ranford said the public were somewhat in the dark with regard to testing, for they did not know when a high yield of butter-fat was recorded the conditions under which it was produced or the cost. 'A cow yielding 600 lbs of butter-fat under the beßt conditions would fall away considerably in her yield if purchased by a farmer who did not feed with concentrates. A lot of harm was done in that respect. He had always maintained that it was not the big records obtained under special conditions that counted eo much as a high production under ordinary conditions. Allround results were better than exceptionally high records. Mr. R. Hill quite agreed with Mr. Ranford.

The president said that exception had been taken to the high records because the conditions under which they were obtained were not known. That, he would point out, applied to low records as well. Then, again, a poor cow, no matter how much attention she received would not put up a big record. After reaching a certain standard sne would merely put on fat. The cows that paid best were the cows that put up high records. Mr. Hill: But you. would not say that a cow giving 600 or 700 lbs of butterfat was profitable if it took more thiin the butter-fat was worth to keep her. The owner would be like a hive of bees that worked all the summer, to be smoked out and robbed in the autumn. Mr Clark said the expense of feeding was sometimes high because the cows were not given a balanced ration. It was not waste to spend £lO a year on a cow if a return of £3O or £4O could •be obtained .for the butter-fat as well us I the by-products. I Mr. Halcombe, referring to the prosperity of "the association, said he could -remember the time when they thought they were well off with £IOO in hand, and now they had £3OOO. Aa for" building, they could not discuss the question. They might make a recommendation to the council that they inquire about a site. He considered that some of the funds could well bo spent in increasing the popularity of the Jersey. He had not tested many cows himself, and when he did it was under herd conditions. His | best yield was 439 lbs, and was given bv one of the 50 cows, which had not received as much as half a bag of chaff. He had been advised by the Government officials that it was a waste of time to test against others who had an opportunity to avail themselves of the semiofficial tests. He was satisfied that they must- do as others did with regard to testing if they wished to popularise the dairy herd of cows. They must show the public what the Jersey could do. He had always maintained that the oust of feeding should be shown in some way. He congratulated the association upon Its progress. He was the owner of the first Jerseys imported to Nfcw Zealand in 1864, and still took a keen interest is, the bleed.

Mr. Charles Stevens said the whole of the discussion led up to this l —the Government would have to show what feeding cost. Mr. Ranford said this would ba too costly for the Government to undertake. The Government officials could not watch the feeding daily. They would have to test under the old conditions, and it would have to be left to the breeder whether he starved or fed his cows. The man who lifted the average from 160 to 300 lbs was going to do a lot of good. Continuing, the speaker said that the cow that was not force-fed had a better chance of throwing healthy stock. A big record cow did not always produce good butter-fat producing stock. In reply to this, Mi - . Banks mentioned that he had a cow yielding 496 lbs of butter-fat; her dam gave 495 lbs and her grand dam 500 lbs. Mr. Ranford said the question was: How often does a record breaker produce a record breaker? Mr. Lepper: Which would you prefer to have, a bull from a producer of 700 lbs of butter-fat or 450 lbs? Voices: From the 700 every time. Mr. Lepper said the great butter-fat producer frequently did not give proper attention to the calf. Mr. Hill said that the whole point wasthat big records were obtained at a loss, and that "was what they wanted the public to know. The president: Ton have not proved that yet. Another member said tint the fact that the cost of feeding was not given out in the case of high records was creat" ing a wrong impression, fostering the town versus country feeling. People thoiight Jjliat fanners were doing a great deal better than they were. Mr. Hill: That man sees the point. The balance sheet and report were adopted. A vote of thanks to Mr. Hill for his past services on the council was passed on the motion of the chairman.

REMITS. The first remit on the order paper was: "That a gold medal be given to every Jersey bull having three or more daughters out of different dams having semi-official records of at least 70 per cent, over and above the standard, such bulls to be called butter-fat gold medallists." Mr. CSullivart, in moving its adoption, said he thought the merits of bulla should be recognised as well as those of heifers. Mr. Ranford, who seconded, said the idea of the remit was to encourage more than in the past the retention of the bulls by their owners. They wanted an owner to keep his bulls till he was award of their merits. Bulls had been sold for low figures, and had proved to their later owners little gold mines. Mr. Linnell (Stratford) supported the remit One of the difficulties was to decide who should get the prize should a bull change hands. Mr. Merrit understood that the medal would go to the breeder of the bull. Mr. J. C. Davison urged that it should go to the owner. The breeder would get recognition in other ways. Thn matter was one for the council to decide. A member contended that a bull should not be recognised if he could not produce the type as well as good butterfat progeny.

J Another member said that they wantied to combine butter-fat and type, but j the most important thing was butterfat. , Mr. Griffiths said in America the medal was given to the bull who could produce three heifers which, under semi-official tests, could produce 700 lbs of butter-fat, but they were getting so many cows in America which could produce 700 and even 800 lbs of butter-fat that they were j thinking of raising the standard required in those bulls entitled to the prize. Mr. Banks moved as an amendment I that in the words "70 per cent, over and | above standard," "100" be substituted for j"70" and that "five" daughters be sub- ! stituted for "three." Mr. O'Sullivan agreed! to alter his motion to meet Mr. Banks' wishes. Replying to a question, the president stated that any bull with the required performances would be eligible for the medal. After some further discussion on who should receive the medal, the owner or the breeder, Mr. Ranford suggested that this be left with the council to decide. Mr. Southey moved that the medal be given to the breeder or importer of the bull. * The president said he would first put the motion as amended, and would take j a resolution later on the other question. The motion was carried. Mr. Southey moved that the medal be given to the breeder or importer, who to qualify must be a member of the association. The president said the man who owned the bull was the man who deserved the credit. Mr. Southey's motion was carried by about two votes to one. Mr. J. S. Jones moved that the council take into consideration the desirability of giving a gold, silver, and bronze medal respectively for cows ten years or over at the commencement of the test having qualified for semi-official record. Conditions governing the test to be the j same as those applying to cows of mature age.

Mr. Jones said his object in bringing j the remit forward was t.lfat there were so many cows in the country that had become aged cows and I'id never been tested semi-officiklly. 'mis wlfcs due mainly to the indifference of members to the ultimate benefits. He knew of three herds in, Taranaki totalling ISO cows, besides others, and not a single beast had beftn tested semi-oificial'.y, Or even under Dairy Association rules. The owners of these cows seemed to be quite uiQ aware of the higher price they could demand and receive for their stock if semi-officially tested. These cows fro[quently change ownership, and the new owners would probably be having tliem tested, and, as there was a remote chance ! of their gaining a : medftl. if obljged to compete against cows in the prime of life, it would be an encouragement to them and an advertisement for the breed if the remit was carrieiJV. Mr. Eagle said that a cow had been sold at a sale yesterday which had done no good till ten years old. . The president said they were already' giving a number of medals, and it might be imagined from the way some members talked that they were mnning cows for medals. One speaker said he thought the idea an excellent one. Most cows were only fit for the pot at ten years of age, but this was not the case with the Jersey. The motion was carried. (To be continued.)