THE JERSEY COUNCIL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 8 September 1923, Page 3

THE JERSEY COUNCIL.

DISCUSSION ON PRODUCTION. In his opening remarks at the first meeting of the Taranaki Jersey Council, held at New Plymouth, on Wednesday, the chairman (Mr. H. B. Lepper) made some eulogistic comments on the worth of the Jersey cow. He described her as the most economical producer and a cow whose butter-fat returns had always been extremely good. Mr. 'Watkins had a Jersey cow which last year gave between 950 and 960 Ib of 'fat, and Mr. Myers one which would soon reach the 1000 lb mark. At one time a gold medal could be won with 500 or 600 lb of fat. There was only one time in the history of the Jerseys that a proper contest with the Friesians was held. In a butter-fat contest based on ten points for butter-fat and one point for skim milk the Friesian cow came out best, but on actual butterfat production the position was reversed. A tally of casein was also taken and the Jersey cow won there. The Friesian cow1- had been asked to meet the Jersey in a contest of economy, but the Friesian breeders contended that thei-e wei-e too many Jersey cows as compared with Friesians. and consequently the Jersey breeders were still waiting the convenience of the Friesians. At the same meeting Mr. N. Wren moved a remit to the effect that the Department of Agriculture be urged tr> abolish the existing list of register of merit standards, and that a new list be. set up, the minimum requirements (Continued-on next page.)

to be at least 100 Ib of fat higher than tne pieseni quality nig amount. in moving, iur. Vv ren said he considered tnat, 240 lb or iat for a heifer was not a meritorious pert"ormance; if she could not do more than 3UO lb he did not consider that she was worthy of a place on the list. Similarly 350 lb for a mature cow was too little. He considered that to raise the standard would be to raise the quality of the breed. ; Mr; F. Kaiiford (Stratford) said that the Jersey cow occupied the position she did not because of her butter-fat records, but because she was the most economical producer cs: milk and butterfat. Economy or production was what they wanted to impress on all dairymen, and it was because most "cockies" had discovered tiiat they could earn more per acre with- the small cow that t they were adopting the Jersey bull as a ' sire for their herds. As far as the ; raising of the standard was concerned, ; Mr. JRanford pointed out that some breeders did not feed their cattle any 1 better than the ordinary farmer, and !he instanced a case where a heifer , under hard conditions of feeding did 291 lb of fat, and the next year on : another farm, under good conditions, ' j gave between 600 and 700 lb of fat. To alter the standard would be playing into the hands of other breeds, as although gross production might be dif. ferent, the returns from a good little beast were better than the net returns from, a good big beast. The chairman said it seemed to him 1 that they must know how an animal j was fed before they could say wha. could do. j The motion was lost.