PUREBRED DAIRY COWS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 200, 21 May 1936, Page 14

PUREBRED DAIRY COWS

Certificates-of-Record Testing INTERESTING FIGURES Particulars of the certificato-of-reconl testing for pedigree dairy cows in 1035. given by Mr. W. M. Singleton, Director of the Dairy Division, in the Journal of Agriculture, are interesting. In comparison with 1934. a marked falling-off in the number of certificates issued was recorded, while there were fewer outstanding individual performances. Mr. Singleton stated the entries for 1935 were made in the late winter and early spring of 1934, when the dairying outlook was by no means promising, ami breeders of pedigree dairy cattle no doubt felt disinclined to commit themselves to the comparatively high cost involved in certificate-of-record testing. dry summer and autumn of 1934-35 prevented many cows from attaining the yield of which they would have been capable under more normal climatic conditions. First-class certificaies-of-record were issued to 554 cows in 1935, as compared with G 37 in 1934. 450 cows being in the yearly-test division and the remaining 104 in the 305-day. the comparative figures for 1934 being 534 and 103 respectively. The total number of cows which have been granted first-class certificates, since the inception of the C.O.R. system in 1912 has now reached 9428. Subdivided into breeds this total represents 6914 Jerseys. 1764 Friesians. 453 Milking Shorthorns, 219 6B Red Polls, 8 Shorthorns, and two Guernseys. The average period between calving for (•oninipncement of test and calving subsequent to test for the 450 cows granted firstclass certificates in 1935 was 40-4 days, as compared with 403 days for the preceding year The corresponding period for the second-class cows was 463 days, which was the same for 1934. The rules governing the testing provide for a mum period between calvings of 455 days for first-class certificates and 485 days for second class certificates. It is therefore interesting to note that last year the average cow qualifying for first-class wrliticatps calved 51 da.vs within thp period allowed, while the second-class cows failed for their first-class certificates by eight days. Figures given by Mr. Singleton show that the average production for the firstclass cert ificatcs-of-record issued during

gained first-class C.O.R. during 1935.) T'hc average production for all first-class cert ific:ih»s-nf-record (yearly test) since the introduction of this test in 1912 to the ••nd of 1935 was:—

!!K>5 for the yearly test was iih follows Breed. lb. mills. lb. fat. I'’riesians 15. tn:;.!) -.G3.n-> Jerseys n.osn 7 511.73 Milkins' Shorthorns . . io.sgu.o •165.78 (Only one Ayrshire and one 1 :<-rl Poll

Breed. Il>, milk. lb. fat. I'riesians .. 1-1,031.9 497.20 .Jerseys .. R.291.3 403.16 Milking Shorthorns 10.900.5 443.02 Ayrshires .. 10,711.3 439.73 Bed Polis .. R.046.8 377.13