CLOSE BREEDING

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 17 February 1923, Page 3

CLOSE BREEDING

.In an article on the value of close breeding, by J. S. McFadzean (Senior Dairy Supervisor, Department of Agricultiire, Victoria), in the New Zealand Dairyman, the writer says inter alia: There is no date showing the origin of i the Jersey, but it was known as a distinct breed kept on the Island of Jersey over 150 years ago. Indeed, in 1788, | or 133 years ago, a law was put into force there prohibiting the importation to the island of foreign-bred cattle, except for immediate slaughter. That same law is still in force, so that at least ever since that date, and no one ran say how long before, Jersey cattle have been bred strictly amongst thcmi selves, 'and with best resuXts. The i progress of the hreed under the«e oon- ' ditions is shown in that in 1801 it was considered that 3401b of butter was

an exceptional, yield for a cow in a. season. This was only about 2801b of butter-fat, yet we have in Victoria at present a cow, Mercedes Noble Queen, bred on Jersey Island, that has given 6281b of butter-fat in 273 days, and was giving 241b of milk daily of well over six per cent, butter-fat when the test closed. The hereditary tendency to butter-fat production is thus shown to have been developed to the extent of more than doubling the yield of the! best animals, .and this solely within the breed itself. Twenty-nine years ago, or in 1893, following on a claim by Jersey breeders in America that theirs was the most economic breed of dairy cattle, a. 90-day test was carried through with the three most popular breeds at Chicago, and the Jerseys won the prizes for both individual cows and for herd entr.es. Again in 1904 a similar contest was carried out over 120 days at St. Louis. This time there were four breeds competing, and the Jerseys again won all round, and they have since held to their clann unchallenged. All purebred Jerseys are descendants of Jersey Island stock, consequently there is a close blood relationship throughout all; yet it has been proved repeatedly that still closer breeding on selected strains develops heredity in regard to excellence in both type and production, the second and third cross oi a good bull bringing out these inherent qualities in his progeny in a most pronounced degree. On this line we have world-wide evidence in the Jersey bull Golden Lad. which left very high-class cattle in Jersey Island, and whose descendants are also at the very top in both type and production in America, Australia, and New Zealand at this present date. To those who study Jersey breeding the names of some of Golden Lad's descendants will illustrate this, namely, Noble of Oaklands. The t Tap, Financial Kino:, Irene's King Pogis, and Golden Fern's Noble in America; Majesty's Fox, Campanile Sultan. Eminent's Fontaine in New Zealand; Carnation's Fox, Lord Twylish, Pretty Noble, Island Butter King. Starlight, Mabel's Chief in .Australia! All of these were closely related all were stock of very high' quality, "and concentration of their several' blood lines is giving added excellence.