A GREAT COW

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 231, 16 September 1935, Page 10

A GREAT COW

World’s Record Jersey

FURTHER FINE PERFORMANCE

“Without blare of trumpets," reports the Jersey Bulletin (U.S.A.), “Brampton Basilua, world's record Jersey for butterfat in 365 days with 1,312.81 b. fat has been working quietly along for a year on another lactation that hoists her honours on the production pedestal, in the herd of B. H. Bull and Son, Canada ’’ She has just completed another year of official testing which boosts her milk production over her previous one by 106.61 b. and falls only 61.981 b. short of her world’s record for butterfat. Her figures for this newer test are 19,118.9 lb. milk, 1250.821 b. fat, with a fat per cent ot 6.512. The per cent, fat of her previous test was 6.9, her milk yield being 19,012.31 b In doing this Brampton Basilua has set a dazzling mark for two lactations, whether consecutive or not, with 2,567.621 b. butterfat for the two years. Nothing has even approached it within several hundred pounds in the Jersey breed, and the ease with which she did it leads one to wonder what this cow will yet do in her lifetime. She started her recent test at seven years of age, is in perfect health, is a rugged cow and seems in fit condition to carry on for years, because she has not been forced, or burned out, Jirher test work. She Jives normally a rugged life, is not pampered and is milked three times daily. BRKD TO BE GREAT. This wonderful cow is not just an accident, or flash in the pan. She conies by her merits through a notable ancestry. Hei' sire is Estella’s Volunteer, and back of him appear Bowlina’s Oxford Sultan, Oxford Sultan of Oaklands, imp. Oxford You’ll Do, Volunteer’s Estella, Jersey Volunteer, and Golden Fern's Noble, while on the lower line is Bonnie Benedicta 7th, backed by Oxford Sultan of Oaklands, imp. Oxford Sultan of Oaklands, imp. Oxford You'll Do, Noble Sultane of Oaklands, Gamboge's Knight, Oxford Ever, Noble ot Oakla’nds, and Sultane of Oaklands. One also wonders what a vast difference there would be in her total production had her importers and present owners, B. H. Bull and Son, brought her over before they did, in 1929. She was started on her world’s record test on September 26, 1932, and ended it September 25, 1933. In her test just completed, she started on April 25, 1934, and ended April 24, 1935.

'There was a seven months interval between the end ot the former and start of the last test. She was safe in calf to the service of Favourite Volunteer, and the calf, a heifer, was dropped April 16, 1931. At completion of her last test she was in calf to Brampton Sporting Standard, and due to calve next July 4 Started soon after last calving on her latest test, she appeared headed for a new world's record, and no one knows where she would have gone had she not had to contend with four attacks of milk fever. This cut her production, naturally, but she proved her ruggedness each time by regaining her stride and carrying on In view of her troubles with milk fever on this latter test, this record is really more remarkable than her world’s butterfat record

A study ot her production reveals that not only did Brampton Basilua come close to her own world's butterfat record, but in July. 1934, with 127.091 b. fat came close to the world’s record for butterfat production by a Jersey cow in one month. In seven of 12 months she exceeded 1001 b. fat and twice she exceeded a ton of milk. In each of these two months her milk almost tripled her body weight. There has been only one other Jersey that ever produced as much as Basilua did in this second test, the other cow being Wagga Gladys, in Australia. with 12591 b. Basilua’s weight at the beginning of the .•■ecord was 9501 b., and at the conclusion of the record was 9251 b. She is due to freshen early in June to the service of the grand champion bull, Brampton Sporting Standard. NOT “ALL OUT.’’ Mr George Floodf who again had charge of her during the test, has this to say about the feed of Basilua:— “The care and feeding of Basilua during her recent test were much the same as during her test period last year, when she made the world’s record for butterfat. Her rations consisted of’ Concentrates —Bran. 1001 b.; rolled oats, 2001 b. ; ground oats, 201 b., corn, gluten. 101 b.; oil cake meal, 501 b. ; barley, malt sprouts, 1001 b. “The sprouts were in addition over her last record’s grain ration, but with no soya bean meal. Roughages were hay, alfalfa, clover and some timothy, beet pulp roots, mangels. The record for Basilua seemed practically easy for her. She was taking the lead all the time. When I asked Mr. Bull about Basilua going on test again after she had made the world’s record, they were not very particulor about it. In fact, their words were tc me, ‘We want some cow left,’ but thought it would I be a great thing for Basilisk the Jersey breed and myself if she could come back and do it agaip, as so many had told me she had made her last record. So with the owner’s words in mind she was not tried at all during the test. Had she been. I think, it would have been easy for her to have equalled her last year’s record.’’

This further great performance of Brampton Basilua is of special interest to many New Zealand breeders who are working on similar blood lines,