THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7140, 30 May 1910, Page 12

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

IMPROVING WAIRARAPA HEEDS,

The dairy industry will play such an important part in the future development of Wairarapa that the go-ahead farmer in the district is now paying the strictest attention as to what breed will produce the best results, writes our Makerton correspondent. Ignorance in the past. has, no doubt, cost the dairy farmer in this district many thousands of pounds, and though experience may have been dearly bought the opportunity to profit by it is apparently not now to be Tost. That the Wairarapa dairy farmer ie waking . up is ; evidenced by

1 the establishment of the Dalefield Contesting Association, the action; of several I>alefield farmers in importing: a purebred Holstein bull t> improve their herds, and the general weeding out of useless stock by quite a large number of dairy farmers. It has taken our farmers a long while to get out of the lethargic state which they have allowed themselves to drift into, but the lessons learned from Taranaki and Auckland have shown them what_ a valuable asset the dairy cow is; that is, if proper attention is given to breeding and to management. The average farmer gives but little attention ,to the finer points, but with his experience and habit of association judges very critically at times. While farmers are seemingly anxious to improve their dairy herds they endeavour to do so without knowing in which direction to benefit themselves. Nearly every farmer claims to "be on expert at selecting milk cows, 3 T et in breeding his stock ho does not consider first what he is to breed for. Does he step to consider whether he wishes the offspring of his favourite cow to be even a higher producer of butter-fat or be a x degenerate general-purpose type. The influence of the sire is to be considered above all others in such a matter.