FRIESIAN BREED IN DEMAND

Southland Times, Issue 23716, 14 January 1939, Page 12

FRIESIAN BREED IN DEMAND

NEW ZEALAND BULL EXPORTED PURCHASE BY AUSTRALIAN STUDMASTER A considerable impetus should be given the Friesian breed in Tasmania by the recent importation from New Zealand of the bull Turepo Ranger Kewpie, by Mr John French for his Riverview Friesian Stud at The Oaks.

Although the bull has been in Mr French’s possession for only a very short time his really excellent type has already won two championships for him in the show ring. His conformation is due to a great extent to his breed's powers of inheritance, for many high honours in the show ring appear in his pedigree. His sire has no fewer than 27 championships to his credit. That bull was champion of all dairy breeds at the Wairarapa show in both 1936 and 1937. He has some fine butterfat backing, his seven nearest dams having the outstanding average of 6601 b. The regularity with which research on the pedigree of a good Friesian brings to light outstanding animals is seen again in this case, for among some of the' greater producers there appears the sire of a world’s record holder— Totara C.R. Buttercup. At two years that great cow yielded 7901 b. of butterfat, at three years 9891 b., at four years 10791 b., and at five years 10501 b. She is still producing like that, and is likely to pass her record. On the maternal side of Mr French’s importation there is Turepo Dutch Topsy 2nd, as the dam, with 4011 b of butterfat in 271 days, at just over two years, and other splendid yields. She is described as .a beautiful low-set cow with a splendid vessel—a very high tester, and was undefeated as a three-year-old in New Zealand shows. She is by Turepo Dutch Hero, whose dam gave 6011 b. at two years, from Turepo Topsy, which unfortunately died at calving as a three-year-old, sb that her only test was her first for 3251 b. in 305 days. The third dam of Mr French’s bull is Alcartra Diamond, a half-sister to a Tasmanian Royal Show champion of 1936 and 1937, which also gave 6371 b. of butterfat at seven years. She was by a bull with 20 other certificate-of-record daughters one of which was the outstanding heifer in New Zealand this year. Mr French’s importation should therefore prove of considerable value in his already high-producing herd. Last season was the first occasion on which he undertook testing, and among his more successful cows were Coraville Lady Burkeyje, with 13,2301 b. of milk and 401 b of butterfat as a junior four-year-old; Coraville Maida 2nd, a junior three with 10,1081 b. of milk and 3121 b of butterfat; Coraville Lady Dekol, a senior two, with 91141 b of milk and 2931 b of butterfat as a junior .two-year-old. It is interesting to note that these tests were made under the conditions which bring Friesians to such favour in that the cows were only paddock fed, receiving no special considerations.