Cow Testing.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 21 August 1912, Page 5

Cow Testing.

Mr Burgess of Taranaki read an interesting paper on cow testing at the Dairy Conference held at Palmerston North from which we cull the following. "During the following season the milk of each cow was weighed and tested morning and evening on sixteen days throughout the milking period. The results were a revelation. The -ierd consisted of thirty ordinary cows, and neither the milkers nor the owner hud any idea that there was any great ■iiiLjreiice in their value, yet when ■ ranged in order of merit at the end •i" the season and a line drawn through

v.iie centre of the list, those on top of it averaged 50 per cent, more butterfat than did those below it, whilst four cows produced twice as much each as did twelve of those at the bottom of

::o list, and this in spite of the supjjjbod worst cows having been freely turned out at the end of each milking•ooriod, whilst the average output was quite up to that of the neighbourhood. At the end of the season eight of the ■worst cows were culled out and replaced .' >y five cows and three heifers bought si clearing sales in the neighbourhood. i/'rooi then till now (a period of five • oars) the milk of each cow has been weighed and a sample taken for ;.> '.sting at the morning and evening's .uilking on one day in each week right 1 trough the lactation period.

A spring balance, with dial face, ;md the index hand set back to allow [■n: the weight of the bucket, is sus(Kiided at that end of the shed nearest i lie milk-stand. Close by, on shelves, .stands a sample-bottle labelled with the number against which each cow is entered on the list, and a sheet on which the weights are entered whilst a dipper to contain the quantity of milk required for testing purposes hangs on the nail ready to use. Each milker brings the milk of one cow at a time immediately it is drawn. This is placed on the scales, and the weight oil milk entered against the name of the cow giving it, while the required quantity for testing purposes is put into the right bottle. The whole process causes but a very slight delay in 3 miking, probably not more than two jninr.iTs for every ten cow?■''milked. At the end of every four weeks the ■samples are tested and the tests entered against the names of the proper tows. The results are easily worked tut whenever convenient. It would suprise many of those who have never attempted it, to find how interesting the work becomes; so that very soon "■no begins to look upon it as no task, i ait a pleasant and very profitable way «'f employing time. In 1906-7 the work, of course, resulted' in nothing but finding out the real value of the individual cows. The average production of butter-fat for this season v, as .198 lb., and it had taken six years of heavy culling, without the n; i of scales and tester, to reach this, a!:hom;ii only three of the hred were fi;'.>t culvers.

. /xperience has taught the imre--11. A-I if..- of cows that could be bought, ■■:■ ••! it was determined to attempt < m'iu.hr.g up, so a pure-bred Ayrshire vii, of fairly good milking strain, was .';;-ht from the Department of ■\ rri culture to start the no;!; mcwsou .. i. As a result o£ weeding out the worst i .w.: the average production of butter- : .-.)se to 2221b. for the 1907-8 season ; ; ,;iin of 241b. for each cow, or 7201b. i- l die thirty. This surely should til courage those who think it will take years to produce any result to start at u.ioe, seeing what even one year ; '-ill do. True, it will take years to ' -.vild up a first-class herd capable of [ .v.'.producing its good qualities, but the I 'irst year's operations are a step I tutvards it, and if followed up will 1 r^-tainly lead to ultimate success, I whilst handsomely repaying tho trouble I a i most from the start.

The average production of butter-fat fur the next season was 2341b., an in-! crease of 12lb. per cow, notwithstanding that six were first calves as against three in the previous seasan. At the end of this season 1908-9 only two cows were turned out, and six heifers, bred on the farm from the best cows, were brought in. During the 1909-10 •season the. thirty-two cows milked returned an average of 2411b. of butter-fat. This increase of only 71b. per cow over the previous season may appear small, but taking into consideration that the heifers are brought in at two years' old, and that there were six of them in the herd together with six that had only been brought in the year before, the result •was not unsatisfactory. Having now raised the standard to at least 2201b. for any cow that was to be retained, woven that did not come up to it were culled, and one of the best got aocidently killed. Six heifers from the best cows were again brought in, and a fresh Ayrshire bull with high milking records for his dam and granddam was procured.

During the 1910-11 season tliirty cows were milked, and for the first time there was a decline in the output. This was not due to any tendency to deteriorate, but solely to the scarcity oi! water and absence of succulent food caused by the very dry summer, for which adequate preparation had not been made. This fact will be shown by the figures for the season just ended. Three cows were this time culled, and five heifers, bred as before, •were added: For the season just end- i rag thirty-two cows were milked for :>n average return of 261 lb. butter-fat. r.Chis shows an increase ol! 63 lb. of I:utter-fat for each cow since testing was started six years ago. Some lessons taught by the scales and tester ;,ive. been : That is is impossible to us^o with any degree of certainty the value of individual cows without their

' use; that a cow which is a persistent milker with a fairly high test, although giving but a moderate amount of milk at each milking, generally comes out on top ; that a heifer brought in at two years old seldom reaches her best until the fifth or sixth time of calving; and that a large proportion of good cows, although of no particular breed, if put to a purebred bull of good milking strain, produce good heifers. The cost of testing, Mr "Burgess gives as 8s Id per cow, which includes all the time involved. (Journal of Agriculture.)