On the Land

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 July 1933, Page 3

On the Land

SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

NEGATIVE COST OF HERDTESTING. HOW TO KNOW THE PROFITABLE COWS. IMPORTANCE OF CALF-MARKING The weather was particularly uncongenial, so the attendance in the Century Hall on Wednesday, to hear the illustrated lecture by Mr C. M. Hume, Dominion supervisor for the N.Z. Herdtesting Association, was not as large as it might have been. Still the number was very fair in the circumstances, and the lecturer’s remarks on various aspects of dairy farming were followed, as always, with close attention, equalled only by that bestowed, on the fine set of charts and pictures projected on the screen by means of the lantern, which was operated by Mr T. G. W. Page, secretary of the Mauawatu Herd-testing Association.

Mr S. A. Broadbelt presided. In introducing Mr Hume, he said that, although the farmers were passing through rather a strenuous time in the financial sense, this should not be an excuse to give up herd-testing. It looked as though slightly better conditions would prevail for the coming year. It would not be wise, however, for farmers to expect anything like the high prices of the boom period to eventuate, and so they must learn to cut their suit according to their cloth. He thought that they would all profit by their hard experiences of recent years, and he hoped that in the near future they would be favoured with conditions that would enable them to carry on with confidence. REDUCTION OF FEES. Mr Page informed the gathering that, in order to meet the position of the farmers in the present times, the Association had made the very substantial reduction of 20 per. cent, in the testing fees. This meant that, instead of the charge being 4/6 a cow, it would be 3/7. It should be within the scope of every farmer to include this outlay in his budget for the new season. It had been possible to effect this reduction because of the improved financial position of the Association. TEST IN EVERY SEASON. The burden of Mr Hume’s argument about the advisability of herd-testing was that it really cost the farmer nothing. He had made this contention for some years past, and it had now been endorsed by the Assistant DirectorGeneral of Agriculture, Mr A. H. Cockayne. When speaking recently to a meeting, Mr Cockayne declared that he was convinced that it paid a farmer to test in every season. If there was no other consideration in view, a tested herd would pay for the cost of testing, for a herd under test would produce, in the average, 25 lbs. of fat per cow more than if the herd was not under test. With testing fees at even os pOr cow, the increase indicated would give a handsome return. When Mr Hume recounted this statement, he added that greater interest, better feeding, more efficient management, and more careful handling wiien under test would give the herd the extra butADEQUATE FEEDING. Some observations were made by Mr Hume concerning the farm school at Euakura. This move was becoming a great success. There were 50 students last year, and 72 attended this year, including two ladies. In an address given at the school, Mr A. H. Cockayne had referred to two great objectives —the adequate feeding of grass and the adequate feeding of stock —and stated, that only by the adoption of modern grassland practice would efficiency in production be secured. Mr Cockayne emphasised the need for more thorough knowledge of the efficient production of grass and said the need for translation of . that knowledge into practice was never greater. Any idea that the per acre production should be reduced by the deliberate non-adoption of practices leading to higher production was, in that gentleman’s opinion, quite unsound. VARIABLE FACTORS. Mr Cockayne had referred to three variables: Grass, stock and the farmer. Bad grasses and bad stock, he had pointed out, could not be changed into good grasses and good stock. They must, whenever jopportunity offered, be eliminated and replaced by good grasses and good stock. Mr Hume stressed the advantage of using certified grass and clover seed when laying down a pasture. It was only by consistent herd-testing, he added, that poor cows could be recognised and eliminated. Consistent herd-testing also enabled the farmer to correctly appreciate his good cows and the success, or otherwise, of his programme for replacements. GRADE COW’S RECORD.

The lecture from this point was illustrated by lantern slides. A picture was shown of the grade cow Violet, owned by Mr R. A. Candy, of Ngarua. Mr Hume claimed this cow as the record grade cow of the Dominion. Her average for the past eight years was 6381b5. of fat, FORCED INTO TESTING. Denmark, Mr Hume added, was forced into, testing as a result of hard times, -High feeding coats —which were higher than in New Zealand—and heavy cost, .of, handling, which was

greater than in New Zealand. The only point in which Denmark was in a more favourable position was in regard to the cost of reaching the market. Talking of the profitable cow, he said that a cow giving 2001 b. of fat was just paying its way. A cow giving 4001 b. of fat would give a return of £lO at Is per lb. A NICE STRAIN. One slide was entitled, “Breed, Don’t Buy, ’ ’ and presented five photographs showing four generations of cows bred by Mr H. B. Bull, of the Gisborne district, who secured the highest herd average for the association. The foundation animals now had an average production of 3791 b. of fat for six years, and last season produced 4551 b. The first calf produced this year 5941 b. as a 10-year-old, and the next generation 6011 b. last season, with an average of 4521 b. over five years. The next generation had a cow which as a 2-year and 3-year averaged 358 lb., with 5311 b. last season, and the other as a 3-year produced 4391 b. “And it is on that family,” Mr Hume added, “that Mr Bull is concentrating in building up his herd. In every herd, there is usually one good old cow, and if she is not under test they do not know the valuable cow they really have. Therefore, breed, don’t buy. If you do buy, it is safer to buy only springing heifers.” A slide, to which the speaker referred as the most important of his series, showed .the herd sire as vital. Two essentials should be observed. First, that the bull is a pedigree; and second, that if possible he should be from a dam with a succession of testing records. THE CERTIFIED BULL. Mr Hume claimed that the succession of records was a guarantee as to the constitution of the dam, her ability as a producer and her consistency in breeding. A with such backing could be relied upon to pass these good qualities on to his offspring. A cartoon entitled “The Blind leading the Blind” depicted a pedigree which showed an entire absence of bntterfat figures, but many complimentary remarks about the animals. “Buy from the breeders you know,” said Mr Hume, “and insist on the succession of records. Your aim should be to have strong constitutioned cattle. The best definition of constitution I have ever heard is the ability to withstand disease and to produce profitably over a period of years.” CALF-MARKING JUSTIFIED. A number of slides were shown dealing with calf marking. This system, said the lecturer, was the foundation on which would be built the profitable dairying industry for the future. Attention was drawn to the fact that no heifer calf sired by a pedigree bull born on or after July Ist, 1931, would be marked and registered unless the sire had been certificated. He urged farmers therefore to buy only pedigree bulls which were certified or which were eligible for certification. In this way the low producing pedigree cows of the Dominion would be and, he added, unfortunately there were many of them. Marked calf fairs were held now in Taranaki, and at the fair in February at Hawera, the average price of 109 sold was £3 Bs, at a time when trucklods of unmarked calves were selling at 15s to £l. Judging for the best five entered in the sale went to a line entered by a man who was pessimistic of securing £3 apiece for them, but they sold at £6. At the Invercargill fair in March, 43 averaged £3 2s 6d. Last year, a buyer sought for 500 marked grade springers; he secured about 30 at an average of £8 a head, and he could look forward to their developing into a high-producing herd. THE INDISPENSABLE INDUSTRY.

Ilie concluding slides wore in regard to the Dairy Board’s advertising campaign in England, and the final one was a slide reading: "The last man the community cun do without is the farmer.” Mr Hume added that there should he some satisfaction in that, lie thought that they were at the dawn of better times. It would i,.0 just as well for the farmers if a rise of prices did not come too suddenly. lie would urge them not to slacken in their methods with the return of prosperity —not to slip back into wrung ways of management, because it would mean, in time, that they would have to go out of business. Several matters subsidiary to the main theme were treated by -Mr Hume, and will form the subject of separate reports. His address was heartily applauded; and, after he had answered several questions on points of details, he was accorded a very' hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr Broadbelt, who characterised the address as a very explicit one. A vote of thanks was passed by Mr Broadbelt for presiding; and he moved a similar compliment, which was carried, to Mr W. E. Kjlsby for his services as local representative on the Manawatu Herd-testing Association for the past two years.