WORLD’S CHAMPION RED POLL- "MURIA."

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 20

WORLD’S CHAMPION RED POLL- "MURIA."

THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN THOUSAND POUND JBUITER COW. By R. R. Knurr, Dairy Supervisor, in the Victorian Journal of Agriculture. If any ono had predicted that the past season —the most disastrous in the history oi the dairying industry 01 Victoria —would bring to light the first Australian cow to produce KX/jib of butter and nearly loot) gallons of milk, and, further, that the cow would not bo a member of ono of the special dairy breeds, such a prophet would have been treated with scant courtesy. io the great majority of Victorian dairy farmers, and, for that matter, to tne writer h.mself, the 10001 b butter-cow was something of a myth, and existed only where extreme means were taken to force-feed, and give undivided attention. We hvc been too apt to cast doubt upon the records made in distant lands, but it would appear that there is no reason why such envied yields should not bo recorded in this State, where ideal conditions prevail, and our cattle have no long dreary winters to contend with, such as occur in the older dairying countries of the world.

In previous years the oow Muria has always stood well forward in the Government herd of Red Polls, ostablisohed by the Victorian Department of Agriculture at the Central Research Farm, Wcrriboc. In the season 1912-1913 she was the leading cow in the herd as regards yield. Last year she was only a few pounds of butter-fat short of the leading cow. Cigarette, which latter, however, had the advantage of one month lengthier milking period. But this year she has eclipsed all previous performances _ in the herd, and has given the following phenomenal yield: Milk yield, 14,9721 b, from July 25, 1914, to July 25, 1915 (555 days). Average butter-fat percentage, 5.91. Total butter-fat, 884.161 b. Total commercial butter, 10071 b. Total solids in milk, 15.71 per cent. Value of produce at the rate of Is per lb of butter-fat, £44 4s 2d. Note. —(1) The butter-fat percentage is the average of 12 tests of a composite sample of morning’s and evening's milk. (2) The commercial butter is calculated on the overrun of 14 per cent. only. The yield establishes a record in at least two respects, viz. : 1. The highest authenticated yield of both milk and buttcr-fat from a Red Poll cow in any part of the world, and 2. The highest authenticated or recorded yield oi buttcr-f.'-t from a cow of any breed in Australia. The previous befit yields that have been recorded for Rod Polls in any country, and for any breed in Australia, are given alongside of those of Muria for comparison—• "g-S £,|l d 1 co p o . o • - a a & a nd g S .§ g S <3 Pd ° w o "ca _ r d .jd r .©.g g< £ 5 &Srd 'Sfe. < b S n „ o^s R A2 a 2S A >.§■* -ss-s 4 1’-g r^jr—l KS .p ffl I*> W ?-> R hi d e 2 To .—, o PM * -<jr | 8 g T) - 1111 S S 3 | £ R £ £ .2 o SS oi o S § S, S 3 s RMct S § • 31 * Jh Q O £ $ £ a s p Muria’s record was put up in her fifth lactation period, and although her average butter-fat test, as shown above (5.9 per cent.) is far beyond the ordinary, it is not an accidental or freak test; for though she has always been a high-testing oow, she has gradually improved in this respect each year. On her first calf her average test over tho whole milking period was 4.39 per cent.; second oalf, 4.75 per cent.; third calf, 5.44 per cent.; fourth calf, 5.08 per cent.; fifth calf, 5.91 per cent. Except in one respect, Minna had no advantage over other cows in the herd. She failed to got in calf until two months before her record year was competed, so that for ten months her system was devoted _ solely to milk production, and her energies in this respect were not impaired by the demands of pregnancy. She was fed fully and well with a liberal allowance of concentrated foodstuffs added to the bulk roughage (seo food table and cost below); but in other respects her treatment was in no wise different from the rest of tho herd or from that of any cow in any ordinary well-cared-for herd in tho State. She ran with the other forty-odd cows throughout the year, being driven back and forward from tho paddock to the milking-shed for tho morning and evening milking daily with the rest. She was never housed at night, and had no protection from the weather at any time of tho year beyond the wearing of an ordinary covering at night-time during the winter months. Had she been milked four times a day, and given the otlior coddling and hothouse treatment that is regularly accorded to candidates for records in America, her yield might have boon cor-

respondingly increased, but her record would have been less valuable as an indication of robust and vigorous dairying capacity. The following table setting out Muria’s monthly yields should be interesting. It will bo seen that her highest yield was given in Aug-ust, the month following that in which she calved. During this month she yielded 165221 b of milk, containing 97.661 b of fat (5.9 per cent.). The daily average of butter for the month was 3.151 b, equal to 25Rb of butter per week. Her average daily yield of milk throughout the whole year was over 4 gallons (41!b), and on the 365th day she gave 261 b of milk. MONTHLY YIELDS.

Muria finished the year in prime condition, her live weight being 12181 b. Thus her year’s milk yield was 12i times her own weight, being over 6£ tons, and containing nearlv half a ton of butter. She is a lowset cow, -with a splendidly-shaped udder and well-spaced, medium-sized teats. FOOD SUPPLIED (QUANTITIES AND COST). As stated previously, Muria was running with the herd during the whole period, on pasture so bare as to be negligible in calculating the food cost. She was fed with the rest of the herd four times daily— twice in bails at milking-time, and twice outside from racks, morning and evening. The food she got outside (lucerne hay and greenstuff) is recorded as the average allowance for each cow in the herd, the total amount fed having been weighed in bulk over the weighbridge. The values charged in the table are the normal values in an ordinary year, and correspondingly the value of the yield of butter has been given at the ordinary normal price of Is per lb of butter-fat. It will be noted that the cost of concentrates fed (bran, etc.) is about half the total cost of the feed, and while this may appear extravagant, the net profit shown by the yield over the cost is convincing proof of the wisdom of feeding concentrates heavily to deep-milk-ing cows, so long as they give a profitable response in the pail. Table as follows:

VALUE OF MURIA’S YIELD COMPARED. Assuming that 2jlb of fresh milk is equal to lib of lean meat, the 1497 gallons of milk produced would be equal to 59881 b ol meat—an amount that would require about six good bullocks to provide. Taking the butter-fat in the milk alone, the value at Is per lb is £44 4s 2d, and, assuming £lO as the value of a good steer in normal years, the value of Muria’s fat production is greater than the ordinary market price of four steers. Again if the value of her milk yield is put at 8d per gallon—i.e., £49 18s Id, then her yield was equal to the value of five steers. Muria produced that amount in one season, in addition to a good calf, which was sold for £lB 18s, while the five steers would take four or five years to mature and reach the corresponding value. PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT. Muria’s feed cost was £2O 11s sd, to which may be added £4 8e 7d as the cost of labour, the total cost being thus £25. On this basis it will bo seen that the butter-fat cost 6|d per lb to produce, and the milk 4d per gallon. Credit — £ s. d. £ a. d. Milk, 14,9721 b at Sd per gallon (101 b) 49 18 1 Value of manure .. .. 210 0 Sale of calf 18 18 0 DebitCost of feed and labour 25 0 0 Net profit for year .. £46 6 1 BUTTER AND CHEESE MARKET. Messrs A. St. Patercon and Co., have received the following cablegram from Messrs J. and J. Lonsdale and Co., London: — “Butter firm, choicest scarce, higher; secondary plentiful, easier. Cheese: Demand quieter, 765.” HOME CHEESE AND BUTTER MARKETS. The representative in London of the National Dairy Association of Now Zealand forwards the following interesting information to Mr J. R. Scott, under date August 10: “The cheese market shows no improvement at the date of writing. Stocks arc very heavy indeed, mainly Canadian and United States. On August 3 the approximate stock in this country was 547,000 boxes, against 184,000 at the same time last year. The price ot Now Zealand has receded to 745, 765; at the corresponding period last year the price was 765, 80s. “ One would expect that such prices would tend to create a demand, but so far this has not been the case. The real reason is that the retail prices have been too high. There was justification for a shilling per lb when prices went up to 100 s, but now that the price is 74s and the retail price still Is, the retailer is making 4d per lb profit, and, incidentally, this high price is killing the public demand. The excuse for this is that a lot of the cheese now being sold has cost in the vicinity of 90s. lam glad to say that one of the big stores is retailing a cheese at 9d per lb. This is, most likely, a poor quality States make. “ Unless the retail price is brought down the cheese will not be eaten. The public will not eat cheese readily at Is per lb. The object at the present moment should bo to effect a clearance of the cheese now in stock. If this is not accomplished we will have a largo quantify of stock on hand when our new season’s goods begin to arrive, and the result will be that the market will bo kept down during the whole of the season.

“ Butter. —There is, generally speaking, a feeling that butter must go much dearer, and present indications look like it reaching

200 s for Danish. Tho reason for this is that the Germans, having lost their Siberian supply, have fallen back on to Danish, and it is only natural that the Danes arc gradually running the price up on thorn and this reflected upon this market.

There is still a good supply of Siberian butter coining forward, but the quality is very irregular. Quito a lot has been badly heated, and many of the casks are arriving in a half-empty condition. This is due to the fact that some of the steamers from Archangel arc not fitted with refrigerating chambers.

“ Margarine no doubt is having, and will continue to have, a good innings. I notice that the imports of this article for the last seven months represent 1,041,000 cwt, or 52.000 tons, being an increase of 7600 tons over the same period in 1914. When we consider that our total export of New Zealand butter is only 20.000 tons for 12 months it conveys some idea of the extent of the margarine trade. “ For the month of July tho imports of butter have fallen 221,000 boxes, compared with last year, and 370.000 boxes compared with July, 1913. For the seven months ending July tho shortage is 500,000 boxes. This great falling-off is due entirely to the shortage in Siberian and Danish butters.”

July 25 to Aug. 1, 1914 Lb milk. Days. 274 7 Test. Aug. 1 to Sept. 1, 1914 1,6624 31 5.91 Sept. 1 to Oct. 1, 1911 1,517 30 5.28 Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, 1914 1.4874 31 5.44 Nov. 1 to Dec. 1, 1914 1,4344 30 5.24 Deo. 1 to Jan. 1. 1915 1,4354 31 5.36 J an. 1 to Feb. 1, 1915 1,4154 31 5.53 Feb 1 to Mar. 1. 1915 1,232 28 6.50 Mar. 1 to April 1, 1915 1,1634 31 6.35 April May 1 to May 1, 1915 916 30 6.28 1 to June 1. 1915 9104 31 7.05 June 1 to July 1, 1915 854 30 6.46 July 1 to J uly 25, 1915 6594 24 6.66 14 972 365 5.91

Per ton. £ 6. d. Silago .. 3,5701b at £1 0 0 1 ii 10 Bran .. 3,6911b at £o 0 0 9 4 6 Oat chaff.. .. 1,7131b at £2 15 0 2 2 0 Lucerne hay .. 3,16Gib at £3 0 0 4 4 10 Green stuff .. 8,4001b at £0 15 0 2 16 3 Gluten meal 2001b at £G 0 0 0 12 0 23.7401b £20 11 5