Stud Cattle Breeders’ Page.

Southland Times, Issue 20207, 18 June 1927, Page 15 (Supplement)

Stud Cattle Breeders’ Page.

THE BATTLE OF THE BREEDS

JERSEYS AND GUERNSEYS.

THROUGH AMERICAN EYES. PROFESSOR’S HIGH PRAISE. TRIBUTE TO MILKING SHORTHORNS. “I am particularly impressed,” says Professor R. C. Miller, of the University of Kentucky, who has visited both England, where he saw the Milking Shorthorn sale at the Royal Agricultural Show at Cambridge, and New Zealand, where (states the Milking Shorthorn Journal, of U.S.A.) he saw the leading milk herds. “New Zealand farmers are enthusiastic over Milking Shorthorns,” says Professor Miller. “The development of Milking Shorthorns in New Zealand has been characterised by a steady growth in numbers and in popularity. “Even during the post-war period, when the prices of other beef and dairy breeds have been depressed, the prices of this great dual purpose breed, Milking Shorthorns, did not show the marked drops, that attended other breeds. “Of the 1,323,000 milk cows in New Zealand, the Government classified 489,700 or over 37 per cent., as either pure-bred or grade Milking Shorthorns. “One of the successful Milking Shorthorn herds in New Zealand is the Matangi Herd, owned by Ranstead Brothers, near Hamilton, in the North Island, in the centre of a large and prosperous dairy region. They have used herd bulls selected from the Canterbury Agricultural herd, in New Zealand, from the Darbalara stud in New South Wales, and one carrying the leading English Dairy Shorthorn strains. “Some of the principal records made by the Matangi herd since 1920 have been:— “Matangi Quality 4th,. senior four-year-old ; 22,0101 b. milk, 9781 b. butterfat. “Matangi Ruth 2nd. senior three-year-old : 14,0321 b. milk, 7471 b. butterfat. “Maniaroa Princess, mature: 15,9511 b. milk, 7001 b. butterfat. “Matangi Quality 4th, junior three-year-old: 16,2811 b. milk, 6781 b. butterfat. “Matangi Mary, mature: 16,0341 b. milk, 6301 b. butterfat. “Matangi Violet 2nd, senior four-year-old: 14,3831 b. milk, 6211 b. butterfat. “Matangi Nancy 2nd, junior, four-year-old : 15,5631 b. milk, 6081 b butterfat. “Matangi Quality 4th, junior two-year-old; 14,5721 b milk, 591 b butterfat.

“The records of Matangi Quality 4th, 14,5721 b. milk, 591 b butterfat at two years, 16,2811 b. milk and 6781 b butterfat at three years, and 22,0101 b milk and 9781 b butterfat at four years, a total of 52,8631 b milk and 2,248,371 b butterfat for the first three lactations, at two, three and four years, are most notable. In fact, the four-year-old record of Matangi Quality 4th exceeds that made by Melba 15th of Darbalara, the world’s champion dairy cow at four years by 24 pounds. “From what the officials of the New Zealand Government told me, bulls from the high-producing Milking Shorthorn dams are high in favour with New Zealand farmers for herd bull purposes. “I visited one of the experimental farms kept by the New Zealand Government, the Ruakura Farm, in the North Island, where herds of good individuals of the Milking Shorthorn, Jersey, Friesian and Ayrshire breeds are kept. “The Ruakura herd of eighty Milking Shorthorn cows is as good a herd of cows as I have ever seen anywhere. Apart from being excellent producers of milk, these cows are of good fleshing qualities, possessing the desirable beef conformation. The demand for good, pure-bred Milking Shorthorn sires from this and other good pure-bred herds is increasing at an unusually rapid rate in New Zealand. “New Zealand farmers enjoy a climate that permits them to graze their cattle the year around, being even more favoured than Colorado breeders on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, or than the Western Washington and Oregon breeders. The New England farmer has a large area of grass for forage, four-fifths of the improved land being sowed to tame grass. Very little hay or grain is fed. Mangels ami turnips are sown to supplement pasturage during the winter months. Expensive barns are not needed. They use some simple sheds for milking, and have as small investments in farm buildings outside the farm homes.” DAIRY RESEARCH. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. Matters concerning the Agricultural College were discussed at the last meeting of the Board of Agriculture. The president (Sir James Wilson), who is the representative of the board on the Agricultural College Council, briefly outlined the progress that was being made in connection with the establishment of the Agricultural College at Palmerston North. He stated that an agreement had been reached as to the measure of dairy research work to be undertaken by the college authorities and the Department of Agriculture, and that there was every reason to hope that an equally satisfactory result would be arrived at with respect to the status of Lincoln College. Arrangements were in hand for the purchase of stock, etc., for the college farm, and the council was making all necessary arrangements to push on with the establishment of the college with the least possible delay. He also reported that the chairman of the council had placed before the people of Hawkes Bay a proposal that they should agree to an annual contribution from the funds of the Howard Estate to be made to the college for the purpose of research work in regard to wool and animal breeding. After a brief discussion, during the course of which it was explained that the establishment of a College of Agriculture at Palmerston North had been made possible by the decision of the Auckland and Victoria University Colleges to amalgamate their bequests, and that the borough of Palmerston North had agreed, under certain conditions, to assist in its establishment by purchasing the McHardy property and presenting it to the Government for the purposes of the college, the board unanimously decided, in view of the great importance of these subjects to Hawkes Bay, to urge the farmers there to endorse the proposal. The annual report of the Professorial Board of Victoria University College says that it is sincerely to be hoped that the new Agricultural College will be in a position to accept students for the academic year of 1928, as the improved facilities will be of inestimable value to the two schools concerned, and, generally, to agricultural education in New Zealand.

THE COW’S UDDER. The cow’s udder is composed of two separate glands, right and left halves, divided longitudinally by a fibrous membrane. This partition extends along the abdomen in front and back to a point between the cow’s thighs, serving as support to the udder. There is no connection between the right and left halves; consequently milk cannnot be drawn from right to left side, or vice versa. The right and left halves are again divided into lobes, the udder thus appearing in quarters, each provided with a teat. The division between the lobes on the same side is not complete ; hence milk may be slightly drawn to the rear or fore teat on either side.

BATTLE OF THE BREEDS. IN DEFENCE OF THE FRIESIAN. To the Editor. Sir, —It is freely conceded by all interested in the dairying industry in New Zealand that all the dairy breeds have strong claims for recognition by dairy farmers for their high productivity and their economic value—and it is also generally recognised that there is ample room in the Dominion for a large increase in purebred pedigree dairy cattle. But the N.Z. Friesian Association, in common with the N.Z. Milking Shorthorn Association, and the N.Z. Ayrshire Association, takes strong exception to the manager of the Ruakura Government Farm of Instruction giving expression to ill-advised and unfounded criticisms which all reliable official records completely disprove. One of your correspondents takes me to task for making use of the results of experiments in America, which he calls “Cheap American twaddle.” I regret that I do not agree that scientific work carried out by leading American Agricultural Colleges is “twaddle.” It is looked upon by scientific men all over the world as work of great value. We hope soon to have available the results of scientific investigations in this Dominion—they will be given due publicity. In Mr Gibb’s letter I read that a halfbred heifer had a 12.4 per cent, test for April and a 12.1 per cent, test for May with a total of 961 b for her eighth month. Presumably the 961 b fat was produced either in April or May. Therefore this heifer would have given an average of over 251 b milk (2i gallons) daily during the month with an average test of 12.1 per cent. Such a production with such a remarkably high test is astounding—it breaks all world’s records to smithereens. (Dr Babcock once stated that there was no known case of a cow giving over 101 b milk in a day with a 10 per cent, test.)

Mr Gibb says that three out of the five New Zealand cows that have produced over 10001 b fat in a year are Jerseys—quite true, but eleven Friesian cows have produced over 9001 b fat in a year, while only five Jerseys have given over that amount. For production of over 8001 b fat in a year we have 35 Friesians and only 15 Jerseys. These are Dairy Division Semi-Official Records. The latest returns from the Dairy Division show that Friesians hold the following records for all dairy breeds in New Zealand: Junior 2-year-old; Senior 2 L year-old; Junior 3-year-old; Junior 4-year-old; Senior 4-year-old; and Mature Classes. Six records out of seven are held by Friesians. The average production of butter-fat for all Friesian First-class Certificates of Record is 471.891 b fat, and for all Jersey Firstclass C.O.R. 443.221 b fat. The Friesian average yield of milk in these records is 13,397.51 b and the Jersey average 7,995.71 b, so that official figures show that the Friesians produce considerably more butterfat, and far more milk than the Jerseys, and skim milk has a definite value in the feeding of pigs. For production as two-year-olds, Friesians hold nine first-class C.O.R. while Jerseys hold only five such C.O.R. In a recent newspaper report I saw the following—“ The manager of the Ruakura Farm in addressing visiting farmers at Ruakura said that the large (Shorthorn) cow did not consume more feed than the small cow. The* quantity of feed used by a cow depended upon the amount of butterfat she produced.” Will our Jersey friends quote this statement of the manager’s? I think my previous letter showed conclusively that the manager of Ruakura, when he made his statement about Jerseys at Ruakura, was expressing an opinion diametrically opposed to official facts.—l am, etc., J. P. KALAUGHER, Secretary N.Z. Friesian Association. Box 860, Wellington, June 13, 1927.

RAISING OF BEEF. COMBATING THE DECLINE. PROPOSAL BY MEAT BOARD. BONUS ON QUARTERS EXPORTED. A proposal by the Meat Producers’ Board to impose a levy on all beef slaughtered and to pay a bonus on all beef exported, similar to the Patterson plan, was expounded at a meeting of the Masterton Agricultural and Pastoral Association by Mr William Perry, a member of the board, reports the New Zealand Herald’s correspondent. Mr Perry said that the producers must realise that the meat industry of New Zealand was a depreciating amount, and cattle were not being bred as they should be. If they were to keep up the sheep supplies, especially in the North Island, they must have cattle to keep the sheep pasture in order. The Meat Board had done what it could to stimulate a Continental market for second-class beef. South Africa had recently made special arrangements to supply Italy direct with beef, which would create further competition for New Zealand’s beef trade with that country.

There was no doubt that if beef declined further in value—it was already too low—it would- not be worth while for farmers to continue breeding. As a result, less sheep would be carried. Unless something was done, the stock-raising industry for fattening would fall away, both in cattle and in sheep. In the North Island 122,712 bullocks, 7069 heifers and 123,778 cows were slaughtered in 1926. The numbers exported last year were 20,700 bullocks, 1309 heifers and 29,579 cows. These figures did not include boneless beef killed and exported. The proposal was, said Mr Perry, that on all cattle killed for local consumption and export, except boneless beef, a levy of one farthing a pound be paid by the grower, and an amount of three-farthings a pound bonus would be paid by the board on all beef exported in quarters. This would raise the growers’ return to 44/6 on a bullock of 6801 b and 30/- on both heifers and cows of 3801 b. The board considered that if this course were followed, it would just make it payable for farmers to export beef. In 1926 there was a reduction on the 1925 figures of 233,000 export quarters, indicating that the cattle was not being bred. The Meat Board was not in the position to carry the proposal out under present legislation, so it had been decided to place this proposal before the farmers of New Zealand for consideration. If the farmers approved the scheme, the board would ask the Government to empower it to collect the levy through abattoirs and freezing works. In reply to Mr R. J. Barton, who asked whether this would not place a levy on the consuming public, Mr Perry said the Australian butter industry was operated quite successfully on similar lines. Consideration of the matter was held over. During the year 1926 the Dairy Division granted 110 certificates to Friesians with an average of 13,677.7 lbs of milk containing 483.101bs of butterfat. Junior two-year-old heifers constituted the largest class. The total was made up as follows:—Junior two-year-olds 43; senior two-year-olds 11; junior three-year-olds 9; senior three-year-olds 8; junior four-year-olds 7; senior four-year-olds 4; mature 28.

A GOOD PRODUCER. BAINFIELD TOPSY 14TH. Bainfield Topsy 14th (Rosevale King Sylvia—Bainfield 29) a purebred Friesian cow belonging to Mr John I. Royds of Fendalton, Christchurch, is a granddaughter of the. world’s champion long-distance cow, Burkeyje Sylvia Posch, and a great granddaughter of Oakwood Topsy. Her ancestry reads, “Five tested dams averaging 17,819 lb milk, 7151 b fat, with an average test of 4 per cent.” Bainfield Topsy 14th has just completed a 365-day private test at her owner’s place, Fendalton, with a total production on twice-a-day milking of 17,6801 b milk and 710.31 b fat. On the 365th day, a day of cold southerly wind and rain, she gave 311 b milk with a 4.9 per cent. test. Her average test for the year was over 4 per cent. It is interesting to note that Bainfield 29 (the dam of Bainfield Topsy 14th) was the result of mating a full brother and sister, as both her sire and dam were by Longbeach Major out of Oakwood Topsy. This “in-breeding” has in this case had no ill-effects for Bainfield Topsy 14th is a great dairy cow of undoubted constitution, great capacity, and she has never had a day sick or sorry. JERSEYS AND GUERNSEYS. The Jersey and Guernsey have a common origin. The solid qolour of these breeds is dominant over the broken or spotted colour. Jersey breeders, more especially in the past, have preferred solid coloured animals. But since many of their solid-coloured animals carry the recessive factor for white spots, broken coloured animals have continuously cropped out. It would be a rather long process to entirely eliminate broken colour in Jerseys, even though no broken-coloured animals were used in mating, but it can be done. On the other hand, Guernsey breeders have preferred broken coloured animals. The broken coloured animals are pure, despite spottedness, and wherever white spots occur it means that the dominant or solid colour factor has been lost. Therefore, since Guernsey breeders have preferred to breed spotted animals, and have often discarded the solid coloured Guernsey, the solid colour is not often met with today, although it was quite common a few years ago.

BREEDERS’ PARS. The New Zealand Friesian Breeders’ Year Book for 1926 states that no alteration took place in the class leaders during the year. “With such a particularly high standard now set,” comments the Year Book, “changes in the leaders will not be frequent.” The class leaders for 1926 were: Monovale Queen Bess (junior two-year-old) with 20,501.10 lbs milk and 740.501bs butfcerfat; Nletherland Princesp Fourth (senior two-year-old) with 19,621.60 lbs milk and 805.771bs butterfat; Monovale Queen Bess (junior three-year-old) with 21,609.301bs milk and 800.181bs butterfat; Manor Beets Daughter 2nd of Ashlynn (senior three-year-old) with 18.733.90ibs milk and 863.51 lbs butterfat; Westmere Princess Pieterji (junior four-year-old) with 24.199.001bs milk and 939.781bs butterfat; Bainfield 27 (senior four-year-old) with 23,203.301bs milk and 910.741bs butterfat; Alcartra Clothilde Pietje (mature) with 31,312.501bs milk and 1,145.241bs butterfat. . PROFITABLE VISIT. HON. A. D. McLEOD’S INQUIRIES IN AUSTRALIA. PROGRESS IN INDUSTRY. EXPANSION OF TRADE WITH NEW ZEALAND. First-hand information relative to the progress made by the basic and manufacturing industries of Victoria and New South Wales was obtained by the Hon. A. D. McLeod during his visit to Australia. In an interview with a Dominion representative on his return to Wellington, the Minister of Industries and Commerce referred to some of the matters which came under his notice.

“I was afforded excellent facilities by both the Government authorities and manufacturing interests,” remarked Mr McLeod. “In a short statement such as this I cannot, of course, enumerate in detail the many different works and factories visited, but I would like to take this opportunity of referring to the splendid progress made by the Victorian Electricity Commission in its development of the brown coal deposits at Yallourn, for the purpose of generating electricity for the State of Victoria, and to supply briquettes for household use. The magnitude of the works may be gauged by the fact that 3,500 tons of coal is consumed daily in the generation of 56,000 kilowatts, and 1,800 tons in the manufacture of briquettes. The coal, which, at the face, contains no less than 60 per cent, of moistI ure, is won by firstly removing the overburden, and secondly by what is known as the open-cut system of mining. Electricallydriven dredges, capable of handling six tons of coal at one operation, are employed. Although the cost of generating electricity is at present higher at Yallourn than that obtaining in New Zealand, where waterpower is used, I was informed by the chairman, Sir John Monash, that the commission expects to be able to reduce costs to a point approximating 33d per unit. A very pleasing feature of the works is the accommodation provided for the employees by the commission, which has planned and constructed a garden township on most up-to-date lines. BEET SUGAR. “Another interesting industry in the Gippsland district of Victoria is that of the manufacture of beet sugar at Maffra. When I visited the works, the season, which runs only for about one hundred days, was in full swing, and it was estimated that approximately 3,000 tons of sugar would be produced this year from about 2,000 acres of beet crop. Some consideration has been given to the question of starting this industry in the Dominion, but in view of the fact that the Victorian Government, which controls the Maffra works, finds it difficult to make ends meet, it is very doubtful whether the industry could be established successfully in New Zealand, where sugar of similar quality is procurable at from £lO to £l2 per ton less than in Australia. BONUS SYSTEM. “During my absence I inspected a large number of works, embracing the manufacture of agricultural machinery, iron and steel, boots and shoes, glassware, textile goods, etc., and generally speaking found them operating on efficient lines, the huge local market and protective tariffs making possible mass production, which tends to reduce hosts to a minimum. In this connection, it was noticeable that the bonus system of payment to employees was in operation wherever possible, and that an extension of this method of paying by results is the policy of Australian manufacturers. | “I was able to obtain valuable informai tion with respect to all of these industrial concerns, and it is my intention to use it when the revision of the tariff is being discussed during the coming session, and as suitable opportunities present themselves.”

INCREASING PRODUCTION. “QUESTION OF MATHEMATICS.” EXPLOIT THE CLIMATE. “Three hundred pounds of fat—or she goes to the butcher!”—This is the slogan now being adopted by the dairy farmers of Canada, who are apparently determined that their cows shall at least be “paying guests,” says H.B.T| in the Herald. The expensive necessity of winter stallfeeding has convinced our Canadian cousins that it does not pay to farm dairy cows which fall short of a production of 3001 b of butter-fat per annum, and by means of cow-testing associations, better breeding campaigns, calf clubs and balanced feeding lectures and literature, the authorities, and all interested in the dairying business, are striving to educate the farmer to help himself.

We have some of these campaigns afoot in New Zealand, certainly, but how very far are we from the time when we can afford to cull any cow which is not producing 3001 b of fat. And yet New Zealand enjoys climatic conditions infinitely superior to Canada’s for dairying, and indeed almost unsurpassed in the world, and on this land and in this climate we are content to farm cows which may average us 1751 b of butterfat per annum. Dairy farming for profit has nowadays been reduced to a question of mathematics. We know what it costs to feed each cow and what the herd returns per annum amount to. These figures are forced cn us, for in the first instance interest, rates, depreciation, losses, labour, etc., are recorded by the banker or merchant in the annual outgoings, while on the other side of the ledger we have the factory’s returns. The pigs and calves and poultry may keep the pot boiling, but in nine cases out of ten the dairy herd is not returning an adequate cheque to pay the outgoings and a sufficient balance to compensate the farmer and his family for the long hours of monotonous labour which accompany this class of farming. With a record before him, the farmer, by simple division, can arrive at the average production per cow, and whatever this may be, the weekly use of a test bucket and Babcock tester will reveal the cows which are not paying their proportion of keep and profit. When these are discovered —and they cannot possibly avoid discovery—they should be branded for sale, or preferably fattened for the butcher as soon as oportunity occurs. What progressive business will keep an employee who is not earning his wages? It must be the same on the dairy farm. Each cow must earn its proportion of the total outgoings plus profit. There then remains the problem of replacing these inferior profitless cows with others from which high production can be expected, and unless the dairy farmer is sufficiently strong financially to pay the big prices demanded for tried and proved cows, he must accept the longer but surer road of breeding his own. With the butter-fat record of each cow before him, and a personal knowledge of the constitution of each cow—i.e. whether she is a “good-doer” or not —the farmer should know which cows to mate with his bull, with a view to breeding heifers for his own herd. SELECTION OF BULLS. Regarding this matter of the bull, it must be remembered that there are “scrubs” among purebreds which cost just as much to keep as good ones, and can do as much damage to a herd in one season as will take five to undo. The importance of the sire is evident when you remember that after the third generation there is only six and one-fourth per cent, of the original foundation cow in the progeny, the rest is sire; and furthermore, that a cow produces only one offspring a year, while the offspring of the sire are numerous.

If the sire is to influence the progeny of fifty cows each season, half of which may be replacement heifers for the herd, it is reasonable to take twenty times as much care over his selection as one would with a cow. Yet, how often is he an unpedigreed calf from the herd left entire because he “looked a good ’un.” Though the shapeliness is a help and indicated strength of constitution, it is only through the performance in production of the dam and the mother of the sire that certainty of high production in the herd bull’s heifers can be looked for, and the further back the record of high production can be traced, the surer will be the transmission of fat-producing ability in the offspring. A sound bull from a high-produc-ing family, mated with good cows, will always produce better heifers than their dams. A bull of indiscriminate breeding, mated with good cows, will produce 90 per cent, of his offspring inferior to their dams. FEEDING COMPLETES BREEDING. The next most important thing to the bull in the management and building up of a herd is the feeding of the cows. While it is true that the best feeding in the world will not bring production out of a cow if she hasn’t breeding in her, it is also true that the best bred cow in the world will not produce without good feeding. The dairy cow is merely a machine for converting grass and other fodders into milk and butter-fat, and if you don’t feed the machine abundant raw material, it has nothing to convert. Again is it only the surplus, after maintenance rations have been provided, that can be converted to milk production, and this surplus is limited by the cow’s inbred ability to convert it to milk and butter-fat rather than to condition. . With the undoubted and proved possibility of raising the production of any carefully-selected herd to a three hundred pound butter-fat average, or over, and the method of doing so clearly charted by men who have succeeded in accomplishing this standard, it is hard to understand why any intelligent dairyman is content to select his cows and bull by the old uncertain method of looks. Looks are no more of a guide among dairy cows than among human beings excepting that the lean, poor lookers are often the hardest workers.

The only real test of a cow’s value can be made through the test bucket, and the only real test of a bull’s value is the performance of his heifers. Adopt the practice of ruthlessly culling all under-average producers and dairying soon becomes the most profitable class of farming which can be undertaken in New Zealand to-day. While live stock shows have done much to raise the standard of stock in New Zealand, as throughout the world, they have proved somewhat of a mixed blessing where dairy farmers are concerned, owing to the fact that show points in conformation have frequently carried much greater weight with the judges than the proved capacity for production, if the latter has not been entirely ignored. This has brought to the fore various pedigreed lines bred almost solely for fancy points, and having little to recommend them from a production point of view. Incautious dairy farmers buying these cattle or their progeny with the idea of improving their herd are likely to be bitterly disappointed with the results, and lose faith in the value of “blood.” While shows are as essential for dairy as for other stock, that those points which denote constitution may be maintained and improved, there should be a qualification that each entry must be the descendant of a line of heavy producers. When all is said and done, it is heavy production we want, not animals excelling in fancy points.