DAIRY CATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 December 1922, Page 8

DAIRY CATTLE.

COMPARATIVE FIGURES. LONDON MILK CONFERENCE. London, Get. 27. Some interesting papers wore read at the Milk Conference held at the same time as the London Dairy Show. Mr. ■Jaimes Maskintosh, in a paper on “Dairy Breeds of Cattle in Relation to quantity,” had to lament the limited data available, and to explain that the reports of milking trials at shows were the only sources of information that covered all dairy breeds, gave details of the yields, and chemical compositions oi the milk, and placed all breeds under equal conditions. But the figures of twenty shows gave the highest average daily yield to the British Friesians, which were closely followed by the non-pedi-gree Dairy Shorthorns, the Lincoln Red Shorthorns, and the South Devons. The milk production capacity of the small breeds in proportion to their size was strikingly demonstrated. The Royal Show and the Dairy Show gave the high; est percentage of fat to the milk of the Jersey and Guernsey breeds, ana tne lowest to the Friesians, while the highest daily yield of butter-fat was by the non-pedigree Shorthorns on the figures ot the Dairy Show only. When the yield of fat per 10001 b. live weight was noted, the Jersey easily headed the list. The highest yields of total solids (the cheese-making constituents) in proportion to weight were obtained from the Jersey, the Dexter-Kerry, and the Ayishire breeds. ELEMENTS IN THE COST. It was not possible to give any satisfactory comparison of breeds in the consideration of cost of production, but the largest single item was the food of the cow, and then came Labour and depreciation; these three covered about 99 per cent, of the total. As to nutrition, it appeared highly probable that the

di Terences between breeds- were not so great as those between animals of the same breed, and he found no scientific evidence in support of the idea that one breed would produce more milk than another on the same food. The cost of labour must vary with differing conditions as to the housing and keeping of the cows, and the amount of depreciation evidently depended on the purchase price and the selling price. Some breed or breeds must be better than others under the same conditions, and it would be to the advantage of dairy farmers if attempts were made to solve this problem. Nothing conclusive could be said on the point without details of the cost of food, labour, and annual depreciation. SUCCESS OF LINCOLN REDS. At the Dairy Show itself the Shorthorns, Red Polls, and Friesians were again well represented; and since these breeds have the greatest properties for producing large quantities of milk, owing to their size, there was the keenest competition for the supreme championship. The Friesian eventually annexed three of the open cnampionship cups, thus winning for the second year in succession, while, contrary to general expectation. the Lincoln Red breed secured the Bledisloe Challenge Cup for the six best all-rouml dairy cows. It was considered bv some that a little of the enterprise which has brought other breeds to the front, if applied to the Lincoln Reds, would bring a greater measure of financial success to those now interested in the breed. MAKING A SELECTION. “One would not hesitate to recommend a Jersey for- an equable climate, writes the Agricultural correspondent ol Tho Morning Post “and if the characteristie of rich milk was desired, butler production being even of greater importance. But when living is bare ami the situation exposed, the general purpose types, suel. as the Shorthorn would naturally com.' inder review first of all. If the farmer sought to estab-

lish a cheese-making dairy, he might con. sider the Ayrshire cow with more favour than many others, because of the peculiarity of the fat content of jte milk, which makes it especially suitable for that purpose, and not a few are of the conviction that the remarkable successes’ which the Scottish Cheddermaker from year to year secure at the Dairy Show are as much attributable to the quality and character of the milk as to anv other cause.”