DAIRYING PRODUCTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19659, 10 June 1927, Page 16

DAIRYING PRODUCTION.

VALUE OF HERD TESTING. WORK IN THE WAIKATO. PAST SEASON'S PROGRESS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PUKEKOHE,' Thtrrßday. A review of the work of the New Zealand Co-operative Herd-Testing Association during the past season was given by Mr. C. M. Hume, general manager of the association, at the annual meeting of the Buckland gronp last evening. Mr. Hume said the association had tested 62,268 cows, an increase of 4512 on the previous season. These comprised '432 herds, an increase of 96 herds. The average number of cows per herd was 43. The herds were arranged in 52 groups, requiring the employment of 52 testing officers. In addition 6464 cows were tested as B class, these being animals that were not in normal condition. Tho season ended cri May 31, and figures available regarding leading herd averages showed that one herd of 12 cows had averaged 4481b. of butter-fat, 29 cows 4191b., 50 cows 4131b., 101 cows 3671b, and 50 heifers 2821b. State, Subsidy Question. The association was in a slightly better financial position than at tho beginning of the year, but the finances would not be really satisfactory until the Government granted a subsidy for herd testing. Tho association had requested Is per cow. The Minister of Agriculture had received tho request sympathetically and had promised to recommend to Cabinet that a subsidy be granted. The association's income for the year totalled £16,194, of which £9998 had been absorbed in wages to testing officers and £3281 in head office expenses. The sum of £1362 had been written off the plant as depreciation. The plarit was being carried forward at a value of £2500. Only a small proportion of dairy cows in the territory covered by the association, and, in fact, in the Dominion, were yet being tested, said Mr. Hume, but a Government subsidy, which would enable the charges to be reduced, should give a decided impetus to tho movement. In other dairying countries, such as Australia and England, the State subsidised herd-testing liberally, recognising its great value towards increasing the production capacity of the herds. Call-marking Scheme. Under the association's scheme for marking calves from cows that had reached a certain standard of butter-fat production, said Mr. Hume, a total of 1541 calves had been marked last season, against 651 in the previous season. The first marked-calf fair, held at Hamilton, had proved a decided success, calves entered selling up to £9 ss. The association was now endeavouring to formulate a scheme whereby herd bulls could be registered and sold according to their proven worth. Another important development had been the formation of a herd-testing federation, comprising the Southland, Canterbury, Wairarapa, Southern Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, and Northern Wairoa associations Only three small associations in the Dominion were not affiliated. The federation could do useful work in handling such matters as bringing the herd-testing systems in the various districts into uniformity, making the calf-marking scheme a national one, and putting the request for Government subsidy on a national basis. It was to meet in Rotorua on June 21.