LONDON DAIRY SHOW

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22738, 26 November 1935, Page 15

LONDON DAIRY SHOW

SIGNS OF PROSPERITY BLEDISLOE TROPHY WINNERS (Fkom Oun Own Cokhesi'ondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON. October 26. Lord Bledisloe spent the most part of a day "at the London Dairy Show this week, and attended the half-yearly meeting of the British Dairy Farmers' Association. At this meeting the Duke of Kent was unanimously elected president of the association. Lord Bledisloe referred to a discussion by the council of. the Red Poll Society, and suggested that as far as possible, when daily animals were sold to go to the Dominions, the councils of the various breed societies should have some say as to the type of animals exported. He made this suggestion particularly because in the two countries at the Antipodes with which he had become more familiar in recent years there were a good many so-called dairy animals which were not the best possible advertisement of the British breeds to which tbey belonged. The result was that it rather stood in the way of the export trade in pedigree stock, and he regretted to say that in the case of New Zealand the embargo which was unfortunately and ignorantly placed on the import of the best possible British pedigree stock was largely due to the unfounded assumption that they had in that country plenty of foundation stock good enough to maintain their own supplies without looking to the Old Country for fresh blood. It would greatly strengthen the reputation of Great Britain for pedigree dairy stock if only all the different societies could have a say as to the type of stock which the various exporters desired to introduce into the herds overseas. Lord Rowallan welcomed the suggestion, and said that the matter would certainly be considered by the council of the association at their next meeting. Lord Bledisloe also spent some time inspecting the cheese exhibits, and he was photographed with New Zealand cheeses and the cups won. It has been a good vear for the Dominion entries in the British Empire Cheddar class. All the four prizes went to New Zealand factories. The experts expressed the opinion that the Dominion's cheeses were the most uniform lot that had been shown during the past five years. Lord Bledisloe tasted the winning lots, and expressed his appreciation of them. The first prize, gold ' medal, and the Bledisloe and Hansen trophies were won by the Orcpuki Co-operative Dairy Company, Invercargill. Second prize and reserve Bledisloe Trophy, Bledisloe Cup, and Hansen Trophy went to the Wyndhair. Cooperative Dairy Company. Third prize went to Thornbury Co-operative Dairy Company, Invercargill, and reserve prize to Drummond Co-operative Dairy Company, Otautau. Wright's Bush Co-operative Dairy Company, Invercargill; J. T. Moxham, of Riverton, South Africa; and Gambier West Co-operative Cheese and Butter Company, South Australia, were highly commended. The following were commended: —Brydone Company, Edendale, New Zealand; Pallia Company, Southland; Titiroa Company, Invercargill; Waikaka Company, Gore; and A. A. Kingwill and Sons, Graaff Reinet, South Africa.

The remaining New Zealand companies exhibiting were Kapbnga, Can, Awarua, Edendale, Fairfax, Gorge Road, Menzie.s Ferry, Otahuti, and Kaitangata. Downs Co-operative Dairy Association of Queensland. Australia, which has been in the prize list for several years, was not placed on this occasion. It is not usual to find New Zealand butter entered in the Empire butter section, ,as the season is unfavourable for the show. One entry, however, was on exhibition from the Waikato Valley Dairy Company in the nnsalted section, and for flavour received 45 marks out of 50; texture 28 (30), and for condition 18 (20). First prize in this section went to Gayndak Co-operative Dairy Association. Two other New Zealand entries shown in the catalogue—one in the salted and the other in the nnsalted section —did not appear on the stands. Lord Bledisloe was also to be seen taking a great interest in the dairy cows. This year the Bledisloe Challenge Trophy for the best exhibit of good all-round cows went to a team of six Ayrshires. These animals were outstanding on inspection and a very even lot, and there was no doubt this year where the honours should go. In the milking trial points there was little to choose between the Ayrshires, the dairy Shorthorns, and the British Friesians. Lord Bledisloe handed the trophv to Colonel W. T. R. Houldsworth, the president of the Ayrshire Cattle Herd Book Society. • The winning team consisted of Mr David Smith's Thornhill Mermaid 2nd, Mr John N. Drummond's Bargower Mies Donald 3rd and Bargower Miss Donald 7thj the University of Edinburgh's Barr Kamela, Mr A. Cochrane's Lesserlinn Rosebud 2nd. and Mr W, A. Thomson's Dalpeddar Whisper. The Ayrshire breed and the British Friesian breed have each won the trophy six times. The representatives of the latter breed on this occasion, while doing remarkably well in the milking trials, in which they secured more points than any of the other teams, dropped to 150 points on inspection. The Ayrshires scored 500 points on inspection and the Shorthorns 400 points. The London Dairy Show is always well attended, but this year each day the crowds seemed much larger than ever, and there appeared a decided atmosphere of prosperity. Doubtless, the Government would claim to be responsible for some of this prosperity, as the organisation under the milk marketing scheme, though undesired by some, nevertheless, appears to have improved the lot of the majority. Farmers from every part of the kingdom have been spending a week in town, and many dialects were to be heard at the Agricultural Hall, some like foreign languages to a Londoner's ear.

In the main hall were to be seen all the mechanical and other devices which make up a modern milking shed, the machinery for the dairy factory, and the modern devices for the bottling and transport of liquid milk. The rattling steel tyres of the milk cart are things of the past in most of the large towns. Pneumatic tyres are now used, even if the vehicle is drawn by a horse, but the electric car in several convenient forms is coming very much into favour. Competitions in butter making were in progress at intervals throughout the week. Agricultural colleges and research organisations demonstrated the progress of their work, and numbers of firms dealing in manures and the innumerable articles for successful farming displayed their wares. In the galleries of the Agricultural Hall it is possible to spend several delightful hours, for here were to be seen the aristocrats of the poultry and pigeon world — thousands of them of every well-known breed, but also of breeds which the layman sees only once 'a , year, and that at the dairy show. The winner of the British Dairy Farmers' Association's Supreme Individual Championship Trophy was won by Mr

David Smith's six-year-old cow, Thornhill Mermaid 2nd, which headed the winning breed team. It was generally anticipated that Mr Smith's cow would achieve championship honours, and the judges'decision was popularly received. Eleven cows competed, representing the Ayrshire, Dairy Shorthorn, British Friesian, South Devon, Guernsey, and Jersey breeds. On inspection, which was the final test in the competition, the champion animal gained 125 points, which, added to 170.91 in the milking trials and 53.75 in the butter tests, gave her a total of 349.66 points. Mr E. H. Birley's six-year-old Dairy Shorthorn, Harescombe Margaret, the run-ner-up, was awarded a total of 331.42 points, which included 170.92 in the milking trials. 45.50 in the butter tests, and 115 on inspection. The other competitors in order of merit were Mr John N. Drummond's Ayrshire cow, Bargower Miss Donald 3rd. which won a total of 312.21 points; Mr A. Weightman's British Friesian. Herrington Keg o' Milk, 299.42 points: Mr J. H. Brown's British Friesian, Marshgreen Kathleen, 286.52 points; Mr J. H. Robinson's Dairy Shorthorn. Garnet's Jewel, 275.67 points; Mr Carl Holmes's Guernsey, Dairymaid of Riduna, 277.61 points: the Ovaltine Dairy Farm's Jersey, Eucalia's Jest. 269.60 points; Hall's South Devon, Cinderella. 260.61 points: Mr H. A. Y. Dyson's Guernsey, Primrose Poltimore of Payhay. 250.16 points; and the 'Ovaltine Dairy Farm's Jersey, Queen's Dream Ladv, 247.74 points. The value of electricity to milk production was dealt with by Mr E; Rowland in an illustrated lecture to farmers in the club room of the Agricultural Hall. One of the outstanding features of the dairy show, he said, was clean milk production, and much ingenuity was displayed in providing suitable equipment to this end. It was significant to observe the greater degree to which electricity was being used for this purpose. The installation of electric Lighting in milking sheds and dairies was rapidly becoming universal. A sphere in which electricity had made particular progress recently Wiis that connected with the sterilising of milking utensils. Self-contained electric sterilising chests with heating elements incorporated occuDied no more space than the chest, and eliminated the need for a sepa.rate boiler room. An adequate supply of water could be provided electrically for drinking and washing, and'it was quite a simple matter to make this service entirely automatic. Such _an installation was not only a useful adjunct to cleanliness, but also might be a means for increasing the milk yield by ensuring that the cows had a liberal supply of drinking water;