TESTING OF COWS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6178, 9 April 1907, Page 3

TESTING OF COWS

THE GREAT PROFITS 3IADE POSSIBLE. AN EXCELLENT DEMONSTRATION. Tho enormous possibilities for profit in ascertaining the exact annual yield of each cow in a herd is as y'ct only realised—and then generally in but a partial degree—by n small percentage of the dairy farmers of the colony. As with all progressive measures, obstacles arc being put in the way of its accomplishment—difficulties being exaggerated and benefits belittled. One of tho chief objections raised to taking a test at every milking is that tho process of weighing the milk lakes t*oo much time when tho work over the whole herd is taken into consideration. It is declared that tho weighing of one cow’s milk ivill tako fully two minutes, so that if a herd of, say, sixty cows is being milked two hours’ time is lost ■ at every milking, which, tho critics of daily testing declare, constitutes an insuperable barrier to this important work being taken up by farmers in general. In order to ascertain how long tho weighing and recording of tho weight actually takes, we personally timed tho process in the model shed at tho Woraroa Experimental Station. The experience proved tho two minutes’ assertion to bo absolutely wrong. In no case did the process take longer than fifteen seconds, and where there was vo unnecessary loss of time tho work was done in ten seconds; of course, everything was Convenient to the milkers’ hands, and it was with hand-milk, ing. Attached to one end ot tho trolley, which conveys tho milk from the shed to the dairy, is a iron hook, on which hangs the scale, and alongside, and attached to ono end of tho trolley, is a board-hinged, to fall down when not in use—on which rests tho record sheet. A waste piece of paper is laid on top of this, to keep the sheet clean, especially when the milkers are entering the weights. "What is being done at Weraroa can ho done by any careful farmer, and tho same remarkable results must take place with tho privately-owned herd as with tho one controlled by tho Stato Department. Wo have already published some of the splendid yields being given by the best cows in tho IVeraroa herd, but the information disclosed by systematic testing in tho ■case of tho queen of the herd—a grade Holstein—is remarkable enough to mention again. Before tho department was in a position to establish its dairy herd on a proper basis this cow “vivas regarded as ono of the most ordinary cows ot the herd; in fact, sho was marked down for sale. She certainly is a well-formed cow, with a good udder and finely-defined ■milk veins, but her appearance gives no indication of her great capacity. Tho scales have proved, however, that she gave for tho six months ending February 28th last, close on five tons mf milk, or more than sixteen times her own weight. Last season this cow gave 4501 bof butter-fat, and, judging by tho way she is milking at present, should this season greatly exceed that amount. It must be admitted, in regard to the time taken up in testing, that- what is possible with hand-milking is not at present possible with machine milking. Tho agents of the machines havo, however, assured us that this difficulty will bo swept away by the manufacturers even as the process of drawing milk by mechanical means has been accomplished. In tho meantime tho only manner in which tho weighing of milk under mechanical milking can bo carried out is by working with single buckets. This, of course, would moan a certain loss of time, but, considering tho great advantages from having the daily weight of each cow’s milk, ardent advocates of tho principle contend that this should ho no bar; in fact, nothing should bo allowed to come in tho way of a system which is the only means by which tho standard of a herd can be rapidly raised to a highly profitable point. Tho chief drawback to any extension of systematic testing is tho high values ruling for butter-fat, the consequent tendency being to milk as many cows as possible. The fact is generally ignored that n better profit could be made from half the ordinary herd wore tho cows of a profitable type. The returns'would probably bo greater and the cost of production would, of course, bo greatly reduced. With the splendid object lesson at Weraroa, where tho testing of cows is carried out in a more complete manner than on probably any other farm in tho colony, there is, it is satsifactory to know some hope that this all important work of testing dairy herds will bo taken up more generally by tho dairy farmers of the colony.