EFFICIENCY IN A DAIRY HERD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 8

EFFICIENCY IN A DAIRY HERD.

Efficiency iii a dairy herd should he tlie ; slogan of dairy farmers tc day, seeing : that the products of the lacteal fluid keep ! coming back in value. The keeping of a i favourite cow out of sentiment becomes ■ too expensive a luxury in the present days : of high costs of production. Miikkvg cows j should be tested per media of the. Bab- I cock tester and scales. If satisfied vfaat , the cow is a good one, close attention * should be given to the feeding, watering, | and everything that makes for her con- ; tentment. If not, she should be fattened • off; It is a curious thing how milk is j elaborated in the udder. Science is not at j all certain as to just how it happens, a.nd i perhaps is not quite certain as to how it ' is stored. It seems generally agreed, how- j ever, that the most of the milk that the cow produces is actually secreted during | the milking process, and that the secretion j of the milk is largely induced through the manipulation of the udder during the j milking process. We find one statement to the effect that the milk cistern will hold from one-half to one pint of milk; but we are not at all certain that this amount of milk will be found there prior to the equal commencing of the milking operation. Klein’s Jaook on the “Principles and Practices of Milk Hygiene” has the following illuminating dictum: “All of the milk obtained from the udder at one milking is not secreted before the withdrawal of the milk is begun. The average volumes of the cavities of the udder is about three quarts, while the of the milk obtained at a milking is from four to six quarts. A large part of the milk obtained at a mi'king is secreted while the cow is being milked. As much milk is secreted in 10 to 15 minutes during milking as is formed during the entire period between milkings.” The condition of a cow when freshening has a. lot to do with her yield of milk during the milking season. It is strange, but a fact, that cows continue to produce milk containing normal quantities of mineral and other substances long after the supplies of those substances in the feed have been reduced below the required amount or shut off altogether. This surely indicates that they draw these substances from their own bodies, and that they must be able to store them up in times of plenty for use when the supply in the feed becomes short. Experiments carried out at various stations in America have shown that cows were giving off more phosphorus and calcium in the milk, urine, and faeces than was supplied them in their feed. How do they do it? It was proved beyond the shadow of doubt that the milk secretion of cows could be greatly increased if not doubled (in many instances) by greater attention to feeding methods and care prior to freshening. In effect, cows which are dried off two months before time of calving and fed more generously than is our custom, and provided with certain inorganic mineral salts, will produce greater quantities of milk when they become fresh than if dried off and grazed in any old rabbity pasture which may be near at hand. The enhanced returns were far greater in the case of cows which as a general rule were well treated during their period of rest than in the case where cows were poorly looked after. It is what we would expect, as it is unreasonable to expect cows in a low state of nutrition to deliver throughout the season a food like milk, capable of itself in sustaining life. The cows should freshen in as high a condition as safety warrants, and be fed generously throughout the season, not forgetting that legumes are invaluable in any ration. If dairymen arc satisfied that their cows are getting justice in the feeding line, that they are, through, scientific feeding, doing a lot. to increase milk production, they should then consider whether their cows are of a calibre capable of turning feed into milk or into meat, as, after all, there is a limit to any milk increase by feeding. This limit, of course, is determined by the inherited abilitv or capacity of a cow to transform feed into milk. A cow once brought up to her maximum cannot go further. No. she certainly cannot : but through her daughters it may be possible to acclaim her as a wonderful mother of famous milkers. We do not want record-breakers in milk production so much as improvement in the rank-and-file of our dairy cows. This, one may fairly presume, can be brought about through the usage of bulls which have proved able to transmit to their daughters

the capacity for large production. It is a mistake to slaughter a bull if it is possible to keep him till his worth at (he stud is known as a good or had sire of productive heifers. It is particularly desirable at present that the general standard of our dairy herds should be lifted. The industry is growing rapidly, and there is an extensive demand lor milk, butter, and cheese. The prices, too, are lower than were anticipated, and the only way to circumvent low prices, dearer land, and higher all-round costs is to improve the efficiency of the Dominion cows by way of improved feeding and better breeding.