The Value of Cow Testing.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XI, Issue 554, 4 January 1916, Page 5

The Value of Cow Testing.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■+ ' The various efforts that hava baen ; taJe to iatrcduce cow testing, either ■ by ind'vilual dairymen or- through } the formation of Cow Testing Asso- ( ciations, have only lnefc whh very hiilf-hi'iirted support from locil dairy , ton. Jt is cot so much the cost, which h not great, that is objected , to, but the labour and trouble invoked. With the exception of the trial for cDe season by fch? proprietor of Birchwood Eotate, very little of a practical nature ha^ b°en done amontj "Western District dairymen to test the value of this method of selecting profitable dairy 'herds. The? objections to undertaking the work of cnv testing are therefore baged u|oa insufficient know edge of what is imolved, and upon the benefits deified from sys tematic attention flfco this very important work, If it is granted that both work and expense are incurred m carrying out cow testing, it lores not follow that it would pot pay the dairyman to incur both Prejudice is no good reason for net attempting h. The experience of the highest officers m the Dsiry Department, of successful dairymen who have thrown aside their prejudice .and have gone into the business with determination, and of the Cow Testing Association of Taranaki, is all m the direction of proving that coW testing pay?. It. proves that no' dairyman can tslass his herd without testing," and it has proved that many dairymen feed cows from year to year chat are not returning t^e cost of their maintenance. The Directors of the Wallace A. and P. Association are endeavouring to institute a competition for a shield of considerable value to stimulate interest among dairymen to take up this matter of testing, aud the Dlrec tors efforts can only bear fru t with the co-operation of dairy farmerr. A deputation of tb.3 same body approached the Minister of Agriculture when he was m Southland reently, asking for assistance from the Daicy Department towards the placing oi more officers m Southland to assist m this work, and Mr W. D. Hunt, himself an enthusiastic advocate of cow testing, has volun c rtd to assist to bear the ' cosb of having official testing officers located m Southland". - ;

Tbe following figures, which represent the returns from M* Hunt's herd of 20 cows, may prove instrnctiva to other dairymen. Tluse figures have been reached ao a result of jndicious cow testing aud eullins, and should act as a stimulus to the majority of dairy faimers with an average test of under 2001b3 of batter fat. "jp*?s —Herd of 20 Cows.— ' Average ( f 20 cows 3 77.4 1bs Butter Fat Best Cow 40il3lbs „ „ Worst Cow 283 2lha „ „ ' Is 3<i per lb" "Average Cow £28 11 9 Beßfc Cow 29 0 2 Worat Cow 17 14 8 It is to be sincerely hoped chat the initial steps taken to bring Southland into line with Taranaki m this im portant matter will lead to systematic work along scientific lines being undertaken, and thus add materially to the value of our daity exportß.