WEIGHING AND TESTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 21

WEIGHING AND TESTING.

wvrrHi\T kxn tp«ti\t ' WJbll*lH]\tK Aitl) lJjailA^i , AN INTERESTING RETURN. ■sr t t» t -rrr m i ■ Mr James Burgess, of Warea Taranaki, writes the Farmers' Union Advocate ac follows: —Herewith I forward a list of 30 cows that have 6een tested by me this season, and the return from each. The milk has been weighed night and morning, j once a week, through the milking season, ' and a test of the composite sample taken once every four weeks. The figures arc nor given with any idea that th< herd is above the average, for the cows are . simply the usual nondescripts prevailing i among dairymen, whilst the feed is not j like that on the best lands of South | Taranaki For three or four years the herd j has been culled heavily, but, until this | year, without any absolute certainty that J the worst were being sold, and until the

L ast \™° °,v, v th, ree ys*,r,sys*, r, s no, definke line of breeding has been followed. The 30 cows, together with six heifer calves, six heifers, and five horses, have been kept entirely upon 104 acre's, without purch£> g any food for them, j n cai ci,i ating the return from each cow, skim milk has been valued at 5d per 1001b, and butter-fat at lOzd per lb. The weighing and testing have quite convinced me that it is impossible for anyone to pick out the best cows, or to judge the quality of the milk without it. Several other things came out very strongly (for instance the age of the cows, and the time of calving) in connection with the returns per cow; as also does the fact that the largest cows by no means take the leading place tnat many would be disposed to give them. In conclusion, I believe that few things will make so good a return for the time and trouble expended, aa weighing and testing, if properly done.

Average return,* with milk at 5d per lOOlb&jmd butfer-f«t s>t IOVI per Ib. 'or first 15 on ' lis' v £-12 7 5 .For 7 calve-l later than October 'or last 15 on list 815 11J ! For 3 with thst ca-li .. . 'or 11 calved in August 12 0 3J For 9 with second calf . .... "or 9 ca-lved in September .. .. 11 5 OJ , For 18 with more than 2 calves 'or 3 calved in October .. .. 9 6 7 • 8 1 31 8 10 7 9 3 0 11 V 2 105

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 23' 29 30 Date of Calving. Sept. 22 Aug. 24 Aug. 16 Sept. 16 Sept. 19 'Aug. 18 Aug. 19 Aug. 10 ,Sept.' 11 Aug. 11 Aug. 23 Aug. 4 Sept. 13 Aug. 10 Sept. 11 Aug. 27 Aug. 10 Oct. 17 Nov. 2 Deo. 6 Sept. 15 Sept. 19 Oct. 4 Oct. 10 Dec. 4 Sept. 11 Nov. 9 Nov. 8 Nov. 26 Nov. 8 No. of calves cow has had. .. Aged .. 3 .. Aged .. 5 7 . . Aged . . 4 3 2 3 .. Aged .. 3 .. Aged .. 3 ' 2 .. Aged .. .. Aged „ 2 2 2 1 5 1 .. Aged .. 5 2 2 .v 2i 1 2 Size of cow. Large Small Medium Medium Medium Large Medium Small Small Small M«diimt Medium Medium. Small SmallLarge Medium Medium. Medium Xiarg-e Small Medium Medium. Medium Large Small Medium Medium Very Small Medium 3 Pounds of milk Pounds of < for sea-son. Butter-fat. 7360 ~ 306.25 5729 .. 305.34 6G51 .. 274.78 6287 .. 268.12 7028 .. 259.10 7597 .. 248.92 7003. .. 246.00 6779 .. 245.00 5928 .. 243.41 6126 .. 238.41 [.. 6483 .. 236.59 5637 .. 2-38.60 .. 5031 „ 232.48 .. 5619 .. 224.97 5196 .. 226.32 .. 5799 .. 22175 5750 .. 213 90 5334 . 216 33 5187 .. 204 05 5155 . . 201 SO .. iiU .. IS6 69 .. 4424 .. 179.24 4G62 .. 178.49 4039 .. 178.67 4315 .. 170.27 3393 .. 167 24 1013 152 45 4393 . 147 02 3603 . . 146 74. 3293 .. 126.27 Cash value. £ s. d. 14 18 7 14 10 11 13 7 1 13 0 9 12 15 11 12 9 6 12 4 5 12 2 10 11 17 5 11 13 3 11 14 0 11 11 6 11 4 6 11 0 3 11 0 10 10 18 1 10 11 4 10 11 5 10 0 1 9" 18 1 9 13 1 8 15 5 8 15 1 8 13 2 8 7 0 7 18 10 7 10 1 7 6 11 7 3 7 6 3 3