DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1290, 19 November 1896, Page 4

DAIRY CATTLE BREEDING.

THE SWEDISH SYSTEM.

Melbourne Leader.

The great development of the dairying industry in this colony emphasises the necessity which exists for devoting special attention to the improvement of our dairy herds. The chief reliance of the farmer is now on butter, and profitable as dairying has been in the past, it is possible to make it still more so in the future if systematic and sustained efforts are made to increase the productiveness of the cows. In this connection co-operation amongst producers is required, and judicious assistance from the Government, if given on right lines, would be largely instrumental in bringing about an improvement such as would place our herds on a level as regards their milking qualities with the Continental cattle. The subject under notice has engaged attention in Sweden and Denmark for a considerable time, and the Governments of both these countries have done a great deal towards fostering and assisting the dairying industry. Hot only have very great improvements in the character and general appearance of the stock and the productiveness of the cows been effected, but the influence of the system in vogue is making itself felt more and more every year, and a steady increase of milk and butter yields is continuously going on. It is within the mark to say that the productiveness of the average herds has been increased by 25 per cent, during the last ten years, and the character of the cattle is still on the up grade. Associations have been formed which practically include all stock owners, and committees selected from these associations and assisted by trained scientific experts in the employment of the Government control the breeding of the dairy herds and render all possible assistance to farmers in matters pertaining to the welfare of stock and the manufacture of butter,

The following is a brief account of the system adopted for the improvement of the dairy herbs.

In middle Sweden an association known as the Red and White Swedish Cattle Association has been formed, and this body includes all the leading stock owners and''experts. For convenience of woiking the country has been subdivided into 12 provinces, to each of which an expert or instructor who is a Government officer has been appointed, and he is assisted by a committee of management selected from the most experienced members of the association. The fundamental object is to establish a breed of dairy cows capable of yielding a very large quantity of milk, and maintaining their productiveness up to say 11 or 12 years of age, while at the same time the animals are sufficiently large in frame to insure the realisation of a good price from the butcher for beef when their period of usefulness for the dairy has passed. The breeds from which the particular type of cow that was required was to be evolved received a great deal of consideration and finally the Shorthorn and Ayrshire were selected as the combination that was likely to give best results. The process of evolution, if it can be called such, has been going on for a number of years, and so skilfully have the strains been blended that a new breed has been established possessing in some degree the size of the Shorthorn coupled with the milking qualities and hardiness of constitution of the Ayrshire. In making the original selections the rule was to study type carefully so that each animal showed in as high a degree as could be determined the outward form of the typical milking cow. The proportions of the original pure blood in the new breed are about one-fourth Shorthorn to three-fourths Ayrshire. Thus, in the breed that is now established the head is broad across the forehead, the mouth large, the eyes prominent, the horns well set on, the neck somewhat long and tapering towards its junction with the head, the shoulders sloping and sharp on top, the back straight and long, the ribs well sprung, the hips wide, the quarters deep and broad, the tail long and fine, the udder well balanced, the milk veins prominent and the escutcheon well defined and shaped. To the latter indications of the possession of special milking qualities a good deal of attention is paid, and in conjunction with other good points a clearly defined and well shaped escutcheon is considered to be a qualification of special merit.

Every spring the committee of management selected by the association, and attended by the expert for the province, go from place to place throughout the district and examine the herds. A number of cows, possessing as nearly as possible the same characteristics as regards size and general appearance are selected, the utmost care being taken to ensure freedom from blemish or hereditary disease, while their conformation must be such as to pre-suppose a special qualification for the dairy. After being subjected to this critical examination the selected cows are branded with a distinguishing brand, and although not kept separate from the rest of the herd, they are so fur taken from the control of the owner that the committee exercise the right of deciding vvhat sires the animals shall in future be mated with. A record of all particulars connected with these cows is taken, and the owner has subsequently to furnish to the committee all information in writing con cerning the number of calves o -••laincd, their pedigrees, distinguishing murks,

&c The sires with which these cows are mated are selected animals of great merit, and the progeny are examined as yearlings and 2 year-olds by competent and trained experts, all showing inferiority or blemish being rejected and a selection made of the animals most likely to subsequently gain the distinction of having their names recorded in the herd book. In addition to the examination for quality and appearance, a veterinary inspection takes place, constitutional soundness and ’freedom from hereditary taint being indispensable qualifications. At from 18 months to 2 years old tke chosen heifers are mated with picked sires, and when they come into profit they are tested with the object of proving their butter or milk producing qualities, and if the test is satisfactory their names are entered in the herd book. The privilege of being recorded in this book rests upon merit alone, and the progeny of these selected

heifers are subjected to precisely the same examination and tests as their mothers had to undergo. If the} r fail to come up to expectation, as many of them do, they are absolutely rejected, the pages of the herd book being reserved for the names of meritorious animals only. The cows selected in the first instance from the general herd cf any particular stock owner have also to undergo a veterinary examination.

liven greater attention is paid lo the selection of a sire, and only the very best and soundest animals are used for that purpose. It is recognised that while a cow of only medium quality may make very little difference in a herd, a sire of unsuitable character may make a very bad impression, so many of the offspring being affected. The inspection of the male candidates for the herd book is therefore very critical. Not only must the animal be up to standard as regards size, colour, shape and general appearance, but his family for two or three generations back must also be up to the mark, and any defect in the sire or dam debars a voung bull from having his name recorded. The male progeny of a sire and dam already in the herd book is not admitted to the record as a matter of course ; pedigree counts for nothing if defects, constitutional or otherwise, are discovered, hence the result of the system followed is always in the direction of improvement.

The system described is in force principally amongst large farmers; but in order to encourage small farmers owning only a few head of cattle to improve their herds, premiums are offered by the Government. Annual shows are held at which the small farmers exhibit their cows, and the winning of a prize includes, in addition to its monetary value, a certificate entitling the owner to have the prize winning cow served by a herd book bull. The cow is branded with the brand of the province to which she belongs, and her progeny is entitled to examination for admission to the herd book, it will be readily understood that this is not only an honourable, but also a valuable privilege, as cattle included in the herd book sell for a great deal more money than those that are excluded. Another and even more important way in which the small farmers are benefited is by the establishment of bull associations throughout the country, and these have been instrumental in raising the standard of quality in no small degree. The principle upon which they are worked is this : A number of small farmers form themselves into an association having for its object the securing of a first-class sire for their herds. The animal is purchased for them by the Government on the advice of the expert for the province, and is forwarded to the locality in which he is to be used, the cost of tiansmission being borne by the Government, the price charged the association being the actual sum paid to the breeder of the bull, and no more. Furthermore, the refund to the Government of the price of the animal is spread over a period of three years, and when the amount is divided amongst the members of the association, theindivid ual annual contribution amounts to a trifle. Tire bull, after being purchased, is placed in charge of a reliable member of the association, who undertakes to look after him, subject to a periodical inspection by the expert for the province. All the members of the association bring tln-ir cows to be served, the one animal thus doing duty tor a number of small herds. It will be seen from the foregoing that small owners are, at a trifling cost, •• if <rded the means of gradually grading their stock up until eventually they

work into a class of cattle equal in productiveness to the herds of the large farmers.

By rigidly following up breeding on these lines it is scarcely a matter for wonder that the type of the Swedish red and white cattle now shows a remarkable uniformity, and the productiveness of the cows has increased to the extent of nearly double their former milking capacity. The best herds average as high as 80001 bof milk per cow per annum, while herds that have not been so severely culled average from 60001 b to 70001 b per annum. Notwithstanding the mildness of the climate and the richness of the soil as compared with Sweden, no such records are obtained in Victoria. It is evident that while we have achieved an excellent position as regards the quality of our butter, we have still much to learn in the breeding, selection and care of dairy cows before we arrive at the position that has been attained by Swedish fa rmers.