PUREBRED COWS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12536, 30 December 1933, Page 2

PUREBRED COWS.

OFFICIAL TESTING. Reporting in the Journal of Agriculture on the official testing of purebred dairy cows, Mr W. M. Singleton, Director of the DairyDivision, says the number or cows tested under this system since its inception six years ago is 10,548. The number tested last year was 1692, a falling-off of 106 cow- from the 1931-32 total of 1798. There was, liowe\ er, a slight increase in number of herds, the 1932-33 figure being 163, as compared with 160 for the preceding 12 months. “Average production rose by 19.841 b of butter-fat, and r* ached the high level of 309.781 b." Mr Singleton continues. “This was in an average milking jieriod .or 283 days, and is based on all cows in milk 180 days or more. It must be taken into consideration that a great majority of O.H.T. cow- would be run under ordinary dairy herd conditions, which makes the average yield attained all the" more creditable, and at the same time enables a satisfactory comparison with testing results for average dairy factory supply herds. “During the year testing was carried out for 49 cows other than registered purebreds, while 11 - registered purebred cows failed to remain on test 180 davs, as compared with 186 for 1931-32. “The following particulars will be found useful for purposes of comparison : New Zealand average herdtested cows for last season, including all cows iu milk 100 days or more, yielded 255.571 b butter-fat in 257 days. The official herd-tost average on the same basis was 3**2.921b in 276 days. The certificate of record 305-day test average was 427.231 b, and the c.o.r. 365-da y test 500.351 b.”