FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 July 1922, Page 12

FARM AND DAIRY.

BUTTER-FAT ON THE WAIMATE PLAINS. A Manaia farmer supplies the, follow--ing particulars of the production fronrr. nine Waimate Plains farms; (1) 584 acres, 10,670 lb butter-fat. (2) 108 acres, 16,000 lb butieriat. (3) 104 acres, 12.000 lS butcer ; fat. (4) 100 acres, 14,000 lb buttgr;fat. - (5) 75 acres, 12,00$ lb butterfat. (Last; year about 14,000 lb. Owing, to ill- : health of owner and reduced number of. cows.) (6) 150 acres, 20,000 lb butter-fat. (On this farm share-milkers and no lucerne, etc.) (7) 196 acres, not certain to a few pounds, but not less than 29,750 lb butter-fat. (8) 65 acres, 8500 lb butter-fat. (9) 98 acres, 13,000 lb butter-fat. Included in this' lot ate" no fancy herds; just average cows on good land well farmed and looked after. There may be some tested cows in this lot, but 1 believe none. THE £ S. D. OF COW TESTING. (Australian). No fewer than 101 purebred cows completed official tests during May, with butter-fat results equal to or Exceeding the standard. 1 This is a. record for any month in the history of herdtesting in New South Wales. The extent of the work is also instanced by the fact that the number, on test ln June was 505, representing 67 registered herds. This is in . addition to many hundreds of cows—grade and pura —-tested by the unofficial district associations. In the 273 days’ tests 10 cows produced upwards of 10,000 lb of milk, the lead being taken by the Darbalara milking Shorthorn Melba XVII. with 14,064 lb. The feature of the period, however, was the performance of the Department of Agriculture’s Guernsey, ’ Hope of Wallingbar. now in her eighth year. She looks safe to join the select band of 1000 lb butter cows by the completion of her full year’s lactation. This distinction she narrowly missed in her previous seasen. Jersey men are comparing the production of Olivette with that of the Friesian, Woodcrest Johanna Tehee, holder of the Australian milk record, and gaining much satisfaction from the fact that, while Olivette’s 11,980 lb of milk in 273 days was equal to 690.12 lb butter-fat, Johanna Tehee’s 20,160 lb represented no more than 689. 31b for the like period. The big Friesian was stall-fed generously and milked thrice daily; the smaller jersey had a fraction the better of it in butter-fat without special feeding, and on two milkings a day. It is these points of friendly rivalry between the breeds that add zest aJid interest to the testing, but. it is the £ s. d. value of the official records to the breeder 4 that is stimulating the work more than anything else.

BUILDING UP A HERD. ’ "Whilst on this subject (herd testing) a matter that has come under the" wri-» ter’s notice is worth recording (a Dairyman . correspondent says). In 1911 a dairyman kept the record of his herd, and found he was producing from 20 cows an average of 4000 lb of milk per year, so disposed o-f eight of the worst and bought six of the best he could get from amongst his neighbors, but after three years decided to buy a purebred bull, as he was doing no better. When the seven heifers came into profit, the" first season proved the value of the purebred sire, as the returns from the heifers were:—73lo, 7206. 6960. 5598, 5861. 5861. 4899 and 4561 lb. which must be acknowledged to be good; in fact, was a better average than the mature cows.

Seven years have now passed since these started his new herd, and the minimum production was 64301 b for one cow for the year 1921. The highest record was 11.401 lb and 9160 lb was the average for the whole herd. This dairyman has given his reasons why he has now a herd of fifteen cows that average over 9000 lb per year. These are as follows:—Because he has kept records of his cows: because he has kept a pure registered bull at the head of the herd: because he has culled cows and heifers’; because lie has supplemneted bare pastures with green feed. THE INDIVIDUAL COW. If a dairy is kept for profit, it-should be the business o-f the owner to ascertain how much profit each cow is making for him. The mistake that is frei qnently made, where a number of <?ows ■ arc kept, is that he herd is treated coljlectively; the individual cow is neither reckoned wjth, or considered. The proper course to pursue is that each cow should be Reckoned with individually, and by good treatment encouraged to do her best. A simple way of finding out the value of each cow is by keeping a daily record of the quantity of milk given by each, and testing it at intervals. Those not giving up to a certain standard should "be disposed of, and their places filled by the heifers from the best milkers, which should be carefully reared on the principle that the making of a good cow begins with the first meal of the calf. In the improvement of a herd of dairy cows special attention should bo paid to the breeding and quality of the bull. Sons of noted milk and butter-producing cows of the best milking tribes are worth securing if the outlay can be afforded.

It has boon decided by the Wairarap.a P. and A. Society that for the 1923 but-ter-fat competition, and future competitions. only dehorned cows will be eligible to compete. It is considered that in addition to being- quieter, dehorned cattle can tiavel much better with less risk of injury.

i Speaking at the annual meeting of shareholders of the Auckland Farmers’ Union Trading Company, .Mr. A. A. Ross, acting-chairman of directors, suggested that they should urge the dairy ' companies to fix a standard of butteri fat per cow, at a moderate height for ; a start so that- a fair number could ! reach it. to be raised from time to itime, and give every supplier who reach- ; ed it a substantial bonus per )b on his j butter-fat. It is the same idea that was i carried out regarding the grading of the cream and the extra payment for high ■quality. The latter has enabled the sys- ■ tern of inspection am. instructors to be 1 practically done away with, and yet the result is that the graders are able to as c us that our standard of quality / gone higher than .ever. For a start C would he slow in its operations in increasing the butter-fat returns, but it would be absolutely surer and, given time, it would work a great change. •