FRIESIAN BREEDERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1159, 6 November 1924, Page 2

FRIESIAN BREEDERS.

MEETING OF NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION. A general meeting of the New Zealand Friesian Breeders’ Association wnu held last night in the Breeders’ Club, the Dominion president, Air W. D. Hunt, of Wellington, presiding. The chairman deplored the fact that the meeting wus poorly attended, stating that they never had a quorum at a half-yearly' meeting. The chairman said that tile testing charge of ten guineas made by' the Government in respect to the lirst cow of a herd put under lest had caused the society some perturbation, as it wus likely to prevent new breeders from taking advantage of the Government testing machinery. It had been decided thut, in order to case the petition, the association pay live of the ten guineas charged. Since that decision was made the total lirst charge of the Government had been reduced to eight guineas, so

that the breeder now had actually only to pay three guineas for the first row. r l'he speaker stressed tlio value of herd testing

and said that he would like io see the first row of a herd go through free of charge. I'lihl he I bought, would entourage men to breed under test. Turning his attention to the position of tiie association. Mr Hunt said that, at the council meeting: held the previous day, they had elected 52 new members anu had accepted for registration 25 new herd names. The president then proceeded to deal with what had boon done in connection with tiie rules and herd books. Incidentally, lie mentioned that he hud never seen tlio country looking better than it did at the present time. HERD TESTING REVIEWED.

-Mr E. C. Banka (Matainuta) brought up tiie question of what recognition tliev were to give herd-testing. He thought that in advertising cows they could more fully stress their records under a herd-testing association or aasociutiqns.

The president suid that they could have nothing less strict than the semi-official test of the Agricultural Department in order to gain recognition abroad. At the same time lie recognised the great value of herd-testing associations. In other words, lie thought the testing under an association i right for grade cows. but hardly sufficient for pedigree stock, Mr M. O. Kidd (Malaiigi) said that, although lie himself was a director of a herdtesting association, he had to admil, for

ohvioiiv reuHons, that the association’s tests could not be quite so reliable as a semiofficial test.

The president then moved, and it was carried; “That, while herd-testing, is a

most valuable aid to improving dairy cattle, certificated records issued under tiie present semi-official test adopted by the Department of Agriculture are tiie only records that should be recognised by breed societies.” Mr Banks urged tile necessity for all dairymen joining herd-testing associations and moved: “That the association advises all its members to join herd-testing associations in order to prove tiie production of the purebred cow under herd conditions.’" The motion was carried.