THE BATTLE OF THE BREEDS.

Southland Times, Issue 20207, 18 June 1927, Page 9

THE BATTLE OF THE BREEDS.

To the Editor. Sir, —Before I proceed to answer Mr Bourchier’s second letter, I desire to state that 1 have neither the time nor inclination to enter into a protracted discussion, in the matter under discussion. He has not advanced even one argument that is worth considering. In fact he shows the Jersey’s unpopularity when he states that there are only five Jersey breeders in Southland. Surely if the breed is so wonderful more would go in for them. As Mr Bourchier objected to the Friesian secretary quoting an American example, why did he go to Australia, America and England for his own examples? Why didn’t he get his own examples in Southland, because that is where we are living? I wasn’t aware of the wonderful fact of the Jersey herds being the top dogs at so many factories, just how was this arrived at? Did he know everybody’s returns so that they could be compared? One thing I heard last winter, that there was a Friesian herd at the top of every herd-testing association in Southland. Does Mr Bourchier know that in Canada tuberculosis is so rampant amongst the Jerseys, that no breeder is allowed to hold a sale of his cattle until they have been ex'amined for tuberculosis? I was informed by a local foreman in a freezing works that eight out of every ten Jersey cows which are slaughtered are condemned, so naturally one does not feel inclined to such unhealthy cattle. I do not recall even having seen it published anywhere that the Jersey heifer Alfalfa Supremacy was only milked twice a day. I thought that she calved at the age of 1 year 18 days and not 1 year 281 days as stated by Mr Bourchier. She made a very fine record, but does not your correspondent think that 18months is a good age to have heifers calving at? Does he have his own heifers coming in at that age? He tries to discredit the Friesian records and tries to hold up the Jerseys’ as though the Jersey breeders don’t give their cows any special treatment when on test. The Jersey is a delicate, particular, and an extremely thinskinned cow. I have in my herd one grade Jersey cow, and that is the hardest cow to keep in the lot and does not do on the same feed as the Friesian. Mr Bourchier must remember that Mr Dickie’s herd are Friesian cows, and even though he did make a purchase or two from Mr Hunt, it shows what can be done in Southland when

one goes in for the right class of a dairy cartie, namely the Friesian. I have said all I intend to say on this subject as I know which dairy cow suits me best. I wished to contradict the glaring mis-statement of a world’s record of 6501 b fat for a junior two-year-old. Many, of these similar statements only cause harm to the breed when they cannot be upheld.—l am, etc., FRIESIANITE*