"THE BATTLE OF THE BREEDS."

Southland Times, Issue 20201, 11 June 1927, Page 9

"THE BATTLE OF THE BREEDS."

To the Editor. Sir, —Under the above heading “Friesianite” endeavours to make out a case for the “Black and White,” but side-steps the subject under discussion which was economical production of butter-fat. Not semi-official records made irrespective of cost. However let us first deal with his arguments advanced. He tells us that there are -at least twelve junior 2-year-olds that have beaten “Alfalfa Supremacy” record. Sir, that may be so because the junior 2-year-old class is for heifers which calve before, they are 2 years 120 days old. Now Alfalfa Supremacy started at 1 year 281 days. Did any of those 12 Friesians start as young or younger than that? Also, were not these Friesians all milked three times daily ? To the uninitiated three times daily milkings does not make a deal of difference. When that Ayrshire cow put up such a wonderful record at the London Dairy Trials the Friesians used the fact (that she was milked three times against twice the preceding year) that the additional 71bs of milk daily fully justified the additional labour. Let “Friesianite” make the allowance of 71bs daily over the milking period and where does the Friesian cow stand? Is it fair to the dairy farmer who purchases a herd sire that in many cases it is not stated how many times the ancestors were tested? Again he states —“I have also noticed that the most of the Jersey records are made as two-year-olds. What becomes of them then? Does the one year finish them? Sir, to the above I refer him to the Jersey Herd Book for the year ending December, 1926. In this he will find that 136 cows completed their second record, 16 cows their third record, and 3 cows their fourth record. Included in the above number will be found the names of four cows that were class leaders for the season. Again, “Where is the Jersey herd in Southland that can beat Mr R. H. Dickie’s herd?” Sir, what made Mr Dickie’s fine herd? Purchases from the Bainfield herd owned by that gentleman farmer Mr W. D. Hunt. Had the Jersey breeders of Southland a breeder with Mr Hunt’s purse behind him he would quickly see the Jerseys in the foreground. At the present we have only five Jersey men who have been breeders more than five years, and they are only working farmers. Does “Friesianite” know that the top herd supplying Oteramika, Rimu or Mokotua factories is a grade Jersey herd, although more Friesian bulls have been used in that district than Jerseys? His remarks that he once heard me pass in the Y.M.C.A. the following is hardly correct, “If I were on country like Mataura Island I would certainly go in for Friesians, etc., etc.” My remarks were, “If I was farming on heavy river flat country like Mataura I might go in for Friesians, but on my country Friesians would starve, whilst Jerseys or Ayrshires milked well.” Now on what was that remark based ? On experience. When I first went farming the first cows I bought included two registered Friesians, well backed with butter-fat records, also a good Friesian bull. My herd average was unsatisfactory. I changed over to Jerseys with the result that to-day my herd average is over lOOlbs fat better than when I ran mostly Friesians. However, let your correspondent ponder over the following records compiled by Mr J. G. Nilan from the herd-testing associations operating in Okanagan, Richmond, Ladner Sumas, Matsqui, Surrey, Chilliwack, Comox Valley and Langley, and appearing in the Farm and Ranch Review of June 10, 1926, published in Calgary’. The following is the average production of the breeds in British Columbia during 1925

Does the above show such a remarkable superiority of the Friesians in a land which is famed for its Friesian boosters? In conclusion, let me state that farmers want to study which pays them best, but-ter-fat or steer calves. If the former then don’t worry about the calves; if the latter, go in for an out and out beef breed and leave the so-called dual-purpose stuff alone.—l am, etc., JOHN BOURCHIER.

Milk. Fat. Percentage of all Cows Recorded. Jerseys . 6663 327.8 32.21 Guernsey . 7216 325.3 7.58 Ayrshires . 7757 318.8 4.85 Friesians . 8850 315.2 52.76 Shorthorns . 7171 290.0 2.60 Total . 100