THE HERD

Northern Advocate, 15 July 1933, Page 14

THE HERD

Science of Breeding. Borne of the most interesting findings in regard to cattle breeding and disease have come to us from the team of research workers attached to Cambridge University, England, One of the latest discoveries is in connection with the transmission 1 of highyielding milking capacity. Mr John Hammond, the research worker responsible, has found’ that high-yielding animals can be obtained by crossing a high yielding female with her son, and continuing this for several generations. This he found in studying the inheritance of milk .yield in rabbits. It is, of course, much easier to study a problem with rapidly breeding animals such as the rabbit. But if the principle holds good with one race ofanimals it should apply to other races of domesticated stock. A note of warning, however, is necessary. To succeed in a policy of such close breeding it is imperative that the animals on both sides should be possessed of undoubted constitution. In this matter there is grave danger, especially as there arc very few authorities on liye stock judging who really understand the signs of constitution, especially in dairy cattle. The subject is too big to go into here, but this it may be said that width between the fore legs is necessary to great heart and lung capacity and that the fine wither, which is invariably regarded by socalled judges as an important character in the make-up of a dairy cow, is too often a sign of poor constitution. The “wedge-shape” argument is over done. We want wide animajfs, <n»t narrow ones—wide in front as well as at the back. 1

Marked Stock Sales. ■ One of the most interesting subjects discussed at the recent herd-testing conference was the loose and sometimes fraudulent way animals are submitted for sale, purporting to \ have much better butter-fat backing, according to herd-test figures, than they usually have. Many cases were cited. In -one a man offered heifers for sale whose dams averaged, it was said by the auctioneer over 3001 b of fat, but the owner’s herd average was only 170 lb, 6f fat! In another ease a man took a line of calves'to the stock sale. They had metal 7 tags in their ears for private identification purposes. Immediately these were noticed word went around the ring that they were marked calves. The owner said nothing but went home highly gratified at the price he had received. The abuse of claiming, high herd records when young stock are being sold is said to be fairly general. The record may be all right but it has been made perhaps }-ears before and bears no rela-

tion to the yield of the dams of the animals being offered. Of course the buyer has only himself to blame. Time and again the Herd-testing Federation has warned farmers that they should demand the production of the certificates issued by the Federation for the animals being offered. An excellent suggestion was made by the Monganui Association, and was heartily approved by the delegates. This was that notices, printed on linen, should be exposed at all public saleyards setting out the, conditions in regard to marked stock and recommending buyers to demand the necessary certificates.

Pedigree Marked Bulls. Many a man has made the mistake this year of purchasing a pedigree bull whose dam has not been tested and which, therefore, is not.eligible as the sire of marked calves. Nothing has been done by vendors or those responsible for the issue of sale catalogues to warn purchasers of the position. At several Manawatu pedigree sales Mr Page, secretary of the Manawatu Herd-testing Association’, approached several auctioneering firms and directed their attention to the seriousness of the. position. He found in several cases that members had purchased bulls which were not eligible to sire marked calves. Mr Page was congratulated on his good work, and the hope was expressed that local associations would follow his example and get in touch with all live-stock selling firms in order to see that no misleading information may be published in sale catalogues and advertising matter in regard to marked stock.

ENGLAND’S GREATEST INDUSTRY. . England’s greatest industry is also the greatest industry of the British Empire. There are, it is said, . 300,OO’OjOOO people in the British Empire dependent in some form or other for their livelihood on agriculture, and about two-thirds of the total wealth so produced every year, or £1,000,000,600, is derived from that branch of agriculture which depends upon domesticated animals.