BUTTER-FAT PRODUCTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15662, 16 July 1914, Page 9

BUTTER-FAT PRODUCTION.

PROFIT AND LOSS.

COW-TESTING FIGURES.

The following paper, read at the recent ' Waikato Winter Show by Mr. W. J. Byrne, chief officer of the Thames Valley • Cow-testing Association, puts the matter of profit and loss in dairying before the farmer ;— Considering our present advanced state . of dairying progress, and how scicn- j, title research has opened up new avenues ] of wealth to the dairy-farmer, ii must strike the reflective mind with some surprise that hitherto comparatively little iia6 been done by the dairy-iarmer himself to improve the source from which the whole of his income is directly or in- | directly derived. ' Remarkable as have been the repeated | iesson 8 disclosed by herd-testing, the importance of the principle has yet to tie appreciated as a vital and indispensable factor in the advancement of the dairying industry of this country. It ie admitted that the demonstration work, initiated by the dairy division, and '< followed by a few dairy companies and j farmers, has had tho effect of draw it I closer attention to the benefits to bo d-> j rived from its adoption, but the rate of ' extension is so painfully slow, and out of I all proportion to its importance, that it leads one to the conclusion that it has I yet to bo appreciated for the enormous i influence it is capable of exerting on the advancement of the dairying industry and the wealth of the Dominion. Five years ago tho dairy division established the first demonstration cowtesting association in New Zealand, with a membership representing about 800 cows. This association's object was to act as a missionary, and so pave the way to a greater knowledge of the benefits that would accrue to tho dairy-farmers of New Zealand by the general adoption of individual testing. The Department's Work. That tho work of the Department has borne some fruit is proved by the fact that during the past season, over 25,000 cows were tested in the various associations that are now in operation. The results have more than justified the establishment of the work, and have proved a revelation to many. It has always been admitted that all cows are not equally productive, out very few anticipated the enormous difference in producing capacity which a study ol these figures has disclosed. • The best hord6 tested throughout a season have averaged over 300 ib of butter-fat, and the worst herds I have averaged less than 1001b of butter- ' fat. These figures prove that the best herds are capable of producing a handsome profit over the cost of production, and the worst herds havo not earned enough to pay for the labour expended in their management, to say nothing of the cost of feeding them. The differences in individual cows has been proved to be even greater than is the case with whole : herds, and in one association the best cow ' produced 5471b of butter-fat, while the worst one'gave only 321b for the season. | Those may be said to be exceptional cases, I but it has to be admitted that thousands of cows in New Zealand do not produce 1001b of butter-fat per annum, while many thousands moro do not produce sufficient butter-fat to pay for its production. Tho results have proved that moro than one-fourth of the cows being milked are being kept at a loss, and this alarmiug state of affairs has been allowed to con- ; tinue for many years, although the greater part of this waste and loss could undoubtedly have been prevented.

Profitless Cows. There are two reasons why there are so many profitless cows. Firstly, on the average farm cows are not cared for properly. Thev do not receive feed of the proper amounts or of the proper character. Cows- that are milked, fed, and watered at irregular intervals cannot be oipected to do well. No matter how well bred they may be or how excellent their individuality, it is unreasonable to expect that they will return a great profit for their owner The second reason is that there are a very large number of animals which are so deficient in breeding, individuality, and ability, that it is impossible for them to produce profitably. It does not matter whether they are kept under adverse conditions or whether they receive the best of care and treatment, they will never return a penny of profit above tho cost of fed and labour expended in their keep. It is estimated that out of 700,000 cows that are being milked in New Zealand there are upwards of 200,000 that are returning no profit at all. Half of theas would mako a profit were they properly fed and cared for. The other half—or over 100,000 belong to the types of poorly-bred, weak-constitutioned, and miserable animals which are met with everywhere. The ability to produco must be bred in them and cow-testing points out whether they possess that ability or not. Were all the poor cows, hypothetically speaking, in one herd and all tho good ones in another herd, it is quite certain that a revolution in our methods would have taken place long ago, but because the average cow pays a small profit above the coat of production, sufficient attention has not been given to the fact that it takes all kinds to make an average.

Maximum Production. Every individual cow has a maximum point of production, at which she can be kept by proper feed and proper conditions, and unless a cow is at, or nearly at, this point, she and her owner are not working together for their mutual advantage, as they ehouid work together. If the cow's natural maximum ol production is high, it is the owner's fault if she is not supplied with proper food and conditions to keep her working in the immediate neighbourhood of that high production of which fhe is capable and if her maximum of production is low_ then no teed and no conditions will make her a paying proposition, and the quicker her owner is rid of her the better. There are few farms on which they are not from 10 to 75 por cent, of the cows that are absolutely making no profit whatever, and ! many that aio a distinct loss to their j owners. The only prontable course to [ take when the herd docs not yield a fair i proat is to find out whether the cows arc I inherently, and consequently hopelessly, interior, or whether their low rate of \ production is due to the conditions under ; which they are kept. If the conditions aro j not favourable, the first thing to do is to I improve them, fjome cows cannot respond to the best-directed efforts to make them I more productive. The only thing to do in this case is to weed them out. It is absurd to think of a farmer giving a cow that produces only 75 to 1001b of butterfat a year the same amount of feed and attention as to the cow at her side producing 3001b; yet how many thoro are that are doing that very thing. The daily increasing value of land used for dairying purposes, as well as the continually increasing value of labour and commercial products, makes' the question of cheaper production of paramount importance to every dairyman, and the secret of cheaper i production lies in culling out every unprofitable cow. This is really the most important workthat dairymen could undertake. It stands at the head of every other question in the industry, though there are a great many people who think that if it is going to cost them two or three shillings a cow and a little labour there will be no adequate return for it. This objection is worthless. If the expenditure of tivo or three shillings per cow is the mean? of enabling a farmer to increase his profits from dairying by hundreds per cent., it is surely about as good an investment as he is ever likely to get. In every case it would pay the owner of cows handsomely, even if he were obliged to borrow the money to carry out the work.