(To the Editor of the Waikato Times). HEREFORD DAIRY COWS.

Waikato Times, Volume V, Issue 291, 24 March 1874, Page 2

(To the Editor of the Waikato Times). HEREFORD DAIRY COWS.

Sift, — In jour report of the Cattle Shotr at Tt Awamutu in your istue of the ft h mit, you sty there can be no doubt that the Hereford | is the best cattle to breed for beef, but i( wof wry UttU %st /of dairy purpotet. Sir, I give my dit» tinctand unqualified denial that Hereford* are not good milker*, and I r'eqae*fr jou will produce yoar authority for tucb * damaging and, prejudicial statement. It is no use your quoting books Of theorists who may state that Herefords tn not good for the dairy ; I pan quote other books thnt they are.. What I eipeot fronl yon it, that you will giro reason*, or practical experience, to susbtantitte the truth of the statement you have msde, calculated, if not contradicted, to do m« and my herd the tnost seriout injury. 'It is quite true that high proof caltlb of any bread, by injudicious management, may be injured for dairy purposes, whether Devon, Hereford, or Shorthorn. A good d«iry oow Is a» fnaoh duo to ewofnl cultivation a» to inheritance. A high.proof heifer if inordinately fat at the calving will not am* iii much milk as the would if only in" fair breeding condition. In tbt latter case, if sho turned out » good dairy ntftw, should it be prejudicial to her, if from her great qnajjty, from bad management, the it allowed to get too tat, and become spoilt at s> dairy cow? The dam of Magnolia, Favorite, shewn the other day by Mr Clark, gave an American buckrtfull of milk before she was two years old, and her grand difp. Hurtle, would fill a zinc pail at the calving. I call rhtae of <6me vie for the dairy. Good dairy cows ? Mr ClarVßshriatobel)e'» dam, Perhn, was also a good dairy cow, and filled her bucket. Mr Baiobrid^sfcldPDhristobelle's half-sister of the same age (bred by ine)'l*tt'4ftttfttiftat at a tbomand weight. That's the kind of heifer to<**etti^good all over, outside and in j'her dam was also a good dairy cow, and now owned by Mr Cox. liold a Hertford oow not long since, rolling fat, that 'bad been milking more thin two year* without having * calf, and when driven to market, a dairyman wanted to buy her as a springer, from the shape of her udder, and holding *o much milk, yet there was no calf in her. I sold la<t Chrwtmas three cows to ornament stalls at £14 each. These were all milking the previous lit November ; all of them flrs'-alast dairy eowt. I mention this as being wonderful in two months; all these were a* good for the dairy as any cow I ever bred. I ought to know what a good dairy cow is ; one herd, the " Tomahawk " brand, was the most famous in Auckland 15 years ago for dairy purposes. I could give scores of first-class Hereford dairy cows. What I have mentioned can be substantiated by others. Now, tir, publish your authority from experience of such sweeping and barefaced prejudice. — ' Ghve a dog a bad name and hang him!' Some time since I was at Major Jackson's *nd looked through his ewes— a fine lot of sheep, but disgustingly, shamefully fat. E*es in that state would not be such good mothers at if in a proper breeding condition, Would it b* fair to say that Major Jackson's sheep were unrivalled for muiton, but did not give milk enough for their lambs ? I have frequently heard lately that the Waiktto is not good for sheep ; that they become unhealthy and die ; that Mr Or., of Awamutu, has lost fifty in a very short time ; tbat Mr B. and others have been obliged to tell theirs to save their lives ; Mr M., of Cambridge, had only four lambs from 200 ewes, &c. Now, sir, I would like to see all these persons placed in a gaol, or some other comfined space, and given nothing but beef to cat, no tonics, no pickles, mustard or gfclt, no bread or vegetables, simply great joints of beef that the mere sight of would make them sick. I think before six months they would all die of dropsy or something, and that they would die very yellow. They all deserve this fate for their cruelty to their sheep, confining them in fields of red clover up to their bellies, the very smell alone enough to poison them. Whoever heard elsewhere of suuh management — breeding flocks in rye grass and clover — very proper for a few weeks fattening for mutton— not even allow them a bit of rib grass, or yarrow, as a carminative. lam really glad to see the dandelion spreading in the Waikato, and I hope sorrel will follow, for the- sake of tke poor poisoned sheep. I speak of sheep in this letter to shew up another prejudice. I maintain there is not a finer country in the world for sheep than the Waikato ; a finer staple- of wool cnnr.ot be grown in any zone, and it is a shame and a disgrace to your settlers that they do not provide suitable pasture for such profitable animals. Sheep are very greedy eaters, and require change of diet to keep them in health ; this change of food they select for themselves, in the natural pastures of the old country, and even in some parts of New Zealand. Why then does not common sense teach us- to introduce seeds of suitable grasses and lay down permanent pastures for our flocks, peas, bents, fescues, &c, in all their varieties? Not continue to allow ourselves to be pf stered and buttonholed by agents as we arc now, pressing their clovcrt on our attention, and we are fools enough to buy it, not rellecting that something else is necessary, and that the clovers only give sir months feed au' six months famine, afier.all the expense, and its necessary renewal. Herefords not good for i the dairy, and Waikato 'not suitable for sheep ! "Where ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise."~-I am, Ac, Evirt Maolian. [Intemperate writing seldom proves anything, and we are torry that Mr Maclean should have indulged in it. He admits that Herefords are considered by many writers of good authority not to be good milkers, but declines to accept their opinion as worth anything. The tone of the above letter, and comments oil a recent decision in Auckland by the same gentleman, incline us to the belief tbat in bis estimation lie is the only judge of stock is the province. Perhaps he will allow us to differ with him on this point also.— Ed. W. Zl.]Z 1 .]