NEW HERD-TESTING RECORD.

Matamata Record, Volume XVI, Issue 1446, 31 July 1933, Page 7

NEW HERD-TESTING RECORD.

BAY OF ISLANDS HERD. Kereone Production Beaten. Morrinsville district farmers will read with special interest that a new herd-testing record has been established by a Bay of Islands herd, thus wresting the supremacy of the group herd-testing movement from Mr. A. Cunningham, of Kereone, whose herd of 52 head three seasons back averaged 453 pounds of butterfat.

The new record has been established by a herd of 70 high-grade Jerseys, which for the season just ended returned the remarkable aveiage production of 460.9 pounds of butterfat in 302 days. This great herd is the property of Mr. C. Fell, of Pakaraka, Bay of Islands.

Dairying on “ Poor ” Land.

Like the dairying land of Waikato, the country round Bay of Islands to which goes the honour of this sensational performance was considered to be quite unfit for dairying, and is still looked upon by the older school of settlers as a poor area. Climatic conditions, which make dairying possible all the year round, are in some measure responsible for the high average of Mr. Fell’s herd. The consistent milker—the “ sticker ” —receives every opportunity of showing her worth in the Bay of Islands district, and the long lactation period naturally contributes to a high average. Mr. Fell frankly admits that the longer season than that obtained in most other districts is largely responsible for the performance. He has milked through winter and summer continuously for 12 seasons, and incidentally the better winter price has been of great assistance. How Herd Was Fed. The record herd is milked in the same shed as Mr. Fell’s other herd of 90 head, the two herds showing factory returns of 51,000 pounds of butterfat, which is within Si per cent, of the herd-test figures. The 160 cows representing the two herds have been grazed on approximately 300 acres of hilly and undulating second-class land, a little steep in places, but mbstly easy and well watered. The leading herd had the advantage in that it had the pick of the paddocks, which had been topdressed with slag and super mixture for three years at the rate of about 6cwt per acre. The pasture consists chiefly of clovers and paspalum.

The only supplementary feed was a limited supply of bran in June and July, which was given to the best producers only, as there was not enough for every animal. The bran was greatly missed in August and September, but the low price of butterfat prohibited the purchase of any more. Eight acres of ewedes and a stack of hay helped considerably over the June-September period. The eight acres used for growing the swedes were also utilised for Japanese millet, which was drawn upon in February and March, while a certain amount of ensilage was fed from January to April. Mr. Fell considers that his cows would have done even better with a supply of soft turnips for summer and autumn feeding.

Influence of Pedigree Bulls.

This New Zealand record-breaking herd owes its development to the use of two pedigree Jersey bulls, sons of Waipiko Masterpiece C. 8.8., and bred by Mr. F. J. Saxby, of the Alfalfa stud, Hamilton. Six years ago Mr. Fell purchased Alfalfa Grandmaster for the great price of 200 guineas. The next year Mr. Fell acquired another son of Waipiko Masterpiece. He has obtained remarkable success, junior two-year-old products of such mating going beyond the 500 pounds of butterfat mark. About half of the 160 cows were milked by hand over the greater part of the season, and then the work took 10 hours out of 24 each day. Each milker had his own cows, milking them in regular rotation. Each month his performance was entered up from the herd-test sheet and placed on the wall in separate lists showing the cows of each milker in comparison.