AYRSHIRES IN HONGKONG.

Northern Advocate, 9 February 1925, Page 3

AYRSHIRES IN HONGKONG.

NEW ZEALAND HERD DOING WELL. Mr J. K. Heughan, a brother of the famous singer, is a .much travelled man, having spent twelve years in the Far East. He mentioned an interesting fact concerning the milk supply of Hong Kong to a reporter. "One of the first things* I noticed there," he said, "was the excellent quality of the milk—a fresh, creamy liquid, in striking contrast to the white-washy fluid that passes for milk in most of the cities of the East. A query concerning this difference brought the interesting information that a herd of New Zealand Ayrshires were responsible." Hong Kong Hotels, Ltd., one of the largest concerns in the East, have a fine herd of 250 Ayrshire cows, all from N6w Zealand. It was found that the Home cattle would not stand up to the climate, but the New Zealand bred animals do splendidly.

Mr Heughan inspected the herd and found that tliey were fed exclusively on imported fodder. The island is practically a rock, and such native grasses as grow there are evidently dangerous, for scrupulous care is taken to prevent the cows gating them. The Ayrshires are comfortably stalled and turned out for exercise paddocks from which every blade of grass —if there ever one existed —has been removed. The owners, do not attempt to breed for their own use, but renew th« herd from time to time by importing from New Zealand. Recently Mr Heughan met a young New Zealander 011 the steamer returning from Hong Kong, where he had just landed a fresh consignment of Ayrshires.