A MILK RECORD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2303, 21 April 1898, Page 4

A MILK RECORD.

There appeared in the columns of the Scottish Farmer, July 13, 1895,, a descriptive report of Mr John Evans'd farm, Burton, near Lincoln, England, in which reference was xmde to 1 the excellent milkiu& qualities* of th.3 dairy herd of red shorthorns. A very, strict account is kepb of the performance of each cow, her date of calving, whether her first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh calf, her total days in milk, her daily yield and her total yield for the year. On January 8 of this year the Scottish Farmer published all particulars concerning the milk yields of 4-3" cows in the' herd, and the appended summary for sis years. For six fs&TS the average otanda

31 cows 1890 averaged 740 gallons per cow 35 „ 1891 „ 720 „ „ 31 „ 3892 „ 795 „ „ 38 „ 1893 „ 732 „ „ 3!) „ 1594 „ 834 ,„ „ 43 „ 1595 „ 567 „ „

Iv December 1697 the British Shorthorn Society agreed to request fcha three national | agricultural societies to impress upon the I judge 3 acting at their respective shawsi the | urgent importance'of giving prominence to milking qualities and capabilities of shorthorn cows 1 and heifers in making tneir awards. The request was a fair and reasonable one, as it has been felt for many y,eara back thalr there has been- unmistakable- tendency; to favour beef afc, tho expecss of milk and matronly ch&r&ctarisuics in the show riag — not from any fixed desire to do so, but in consequence.of tha greater attractiveness — real or fancied — of the specialist beef-producing type. It is now 1 - in, Eugl&nd and Ireland, at least— recognised that foe the country generally the shorthorn, cow which will yield a liberal quantity of milk and may at~ the same time be depended on to produce a good grazing calf, and when done with in the dairy be herself capable of fattening easily for the butcher, is the most desirable and profitable type of animal. A cow possessed of the lattec qualifications, but which yields, say, 700 to 800 gallons of milk in a year, is to the average farmer a. preferable animal to the one that has only a propensity to fatten and whosa yield of milk is insufficient for the nourishment of her calf after it has attained the age of six or eight weeks if it is intended' for show purposes. In this conneclion may be mentioned [the notable fact that the majority of the most distinguished breeders of the various "beef breeds" steadily

observe the rule of breeding only from.fcbe females of their herds thatrprove themselves exceptional milkers, the progeny of" such dams aisnasfc invariably attaining to. a high position in show rings. The increasing demand in tho United K'ugdom for " purebred " shorthorn cows with good udders, strong, heavy milking properties, and good constitutions doubtless mil if need the couueils of the Koyals of England and Iceland ia acceding to the request of the Shorthorn Society to make special recommendations to the judges- at tfieir shows regarding the milking qualities of cows and heifers in the competitions. In Yorkshire, the original home of the shorthorns,, the council of the Agricultural Society haveunanimously decidedithat at future shows of the society it be au instruction to the judges to make the milking capacity and the form o2 the udder chiet points to observe ia awarding prizes to purebred shorthorn cows- or heifers. Oa the other hand, 'the' dircsfcors of the Highland and Agricultural, Society have decided' by a substantial, majjrity to isaue no instructions •to judges oE shorthorns at their eLo-ys regarding'fihe milkiDg propensities o£ cows aad; heifers or the breed. It ia fco ba regretted that the Scottish National Society lws nob s:en. their way clear to accent and act upan the recommendation of the Shorthorn Society. The milk question, to be sure, do&s.not so deeply concern the Scotch breeders of shorthorns as it does English breeders, with the grea j consuming centreß- within easy reach of them, and Irish breeders, with their prominent and prosperous dairy aad grazing- industries ; still ib is important that some special attention be given in the showyards in the duil purpose oE tho breed and theadoption.oHhe shorthorn society's suggestion would not oaly have encouraged judges to reject cows or heifers, however handsome to the eye, but would have placed the society ia a position to defend the actions of their judges against the criticisms which such | awards rcou-d probably give cise'to. The-aetion of the Highland Society is suspicious ol a j' desire to maintain ttio preseut-time popularity of the Abe-deenshire shorthorns, but in face of the much-needed and- powerful' counter- nuvement this "policy of fancy" must pro?e un- ! availing-. To qaote au ardent admirer of the Scottish tjperj of- the^ bceel : "We presume few are prepared to. wholly dijprove, if they. I materially minimise, the stresping charges brought against the Absrdeenshire shorthorns | regarding their defective milking capabilities. Jt is not claimed for them that lhay are exceptional milkem. At the suns time it is ; e\sy to isaagine tha'j their -defective performances at pail fillers are considerably esarggeI rated — especially in comparison with the eapjibii litiesof some of the ohoicyytehowyard specimens of obher strains." It m\y bs here observed that it is not unreasonable to conceive that Gruickshank bulls bred from milkiog families of the type may be useA in most localities with such judgment and skill as to procure 1 the acknowledged advantages tbey sxe capable of imparting, without experienciutj any appreciable injury to.the value of a herd. Waere milk production shares ntfeenliion with th'j breeding" a&d reariiig cf stores in a more ju Hciously balanced' msnner than obfcaius in this part of the col my, the shorthorn element may be, and is, utilised with uadoubted financial b° -'fi l .