FRIESIAN COWS TEST WELL

Southland Times, Issue 23794, 17 April 1939, Page 8

FRIESIAN COWS TEST WELL

Production Figures For February

SOME GOOD SOUTHLAND RETURNS With returns of over 801 b fat three Canterbury cows dominate the Friesian merit list for the 28-day period of February. Two Southland Friesians had good records. Following her return of 71.141 b fat m 25 days in January, Pareora Echo Butter Girl (R. E. A. Gillman, Woodend) heads the merit list for February with the excellent yield of 84.661 b fat. This 10-year-old cow won the championship at the Banks Peninsula show just before freshening and was one of the three cows owned by Mr Gillman awarded a v.h.c. when the classification inspectors recently visited the Pinevale herd. Her sire is Rosevale Echo Burkeyje, proven grandson of Burkeyje Sylvia Posch (imp.) and her dam is Pareora Butter Girl Cadillac (Pareora Cadillac Hero—Butter Girl of’ Groteholm) a double great grand-daughter of King Segis Wildros? Homestead. Second in the return for February is Fendalton Midget Sylvia 9th, a newlyfreshened junior four-year-old owned by T. Mehrtens, of Oxford. This young cow was also awarded a v.h.c. and in her first month on test produced 1600.9 lb milk, 5.15 test and 82.441 b fat. Her sire is Fendalton Echo Colantha Hero, a full brother to the senior two-year-old champion of all breeds, Pareora Echo Blossom, 8191 b fat, while her dam is Fendalton Midget Posch 2nd, champion at the 1930 Christchurch show and a dughter of the twice Royal Champion bull, Rosevale Inka Holland Prince. The third Canterbury star is J. H. Grigg’s 10-year-old Longbeach Transval Star 11th who retains her position as runner-up in the mature class with a return of 82.301 b fat thereby giving her the splendid total of 401.271 b fat for only 136 days’ milking. TWO-YEAR-OLDS The three highest producing two-year-olds for the month are all members of A. W. Montgomerie’s Sunnybrae herd at Mangere. With the two full sisters, Oakview Keyes Verbelle and Oakview Keyes Queen, Mr Montgomerie leads the junior and senior divisions of the two-year-old _ class, while he has the runner-up in the junior division in Sunnybrae W.akalona Linda. Verbelle increased her total for 10 months on test to 581.821 b fat in 304 days with a return of 50.611 b fat in the 28-day period, while Queen yielded 48.481 b fat, making her total 478.471 b fat in 256 days, and Linda 48.741 b fat. These three juveniles were each awarded an h.c. by the classification inspectors.

The three daughters of Rosevale Champion Posch Echo, which dominated the three-year-old class in January again appear at the head of their class. Rosevale Beets Posch (H. North and Sons) with 53.701 b fat and 2881 b fat in 125 days is the class leader for the fourth consecutive month, 'while A. W. Montgomerie’s Rosevale Regina Josephine Posch with 53.521 b fat and 226.211 b fat in 111 days heads C. W. Humm and Sons’ Rosevale Lady Abbekerk Echo, 50.861 b fat and 234.741 b fat in 113 days for second place. It is interesting to note that Messrs Montgomerie and Humms’ heifers have the honour of being two of the only five heifers yet to secure a v.h.c award in three-year-old form. | Listed in the three-year-old class for I the last time is Oakview Keyes Trojan (A. W. Montgomerie) whose final returns for her 365 days on test was 23,753.31 b milk and 905.921 b fat. FOUR-YEAR-OLDS - Fendalton Midget Sylvia 9th, 82.441 b fat, is naturally an easy leader of this class, her closest rival being the Southland heifer, R. H. Dickie’s Lauderdale Sylvia Lilac, whose return of 63.801 b fat in February gives her a total to the end of that month of 371.411 b fat in 160 days— an excellent return for a young cow being milked >only twice daily and running with the ordinary dairy herd. Another four-year-old making a good record under similar conditions is Fairbum Lady Taureau, a member of W. C. Miller’s dairy herd at Motukarara, whose total to date of 381.911 b fat in 185 days included a yield of

56.221 b fat in the 28-day period under review.

The two 801 b Canterbury matrons in the mature class are followed by Mrs H. V. Leaning’s five-year-old, Totara C. R. Parma. If this consistent producer can maintain her present rate of production she has every chance of becoming fhe first 9001 b fat matron to be tested in. the Waikato for some years. Her February return of 71.011 b fat gives her the grand total to date of 644.761 b fat in 246 days. The January class leader, Rosevale Queen Isobel Blis (H. North and Sons) follows with. 69.181 b fat, while her closest attendants are two daughters of Totara C. R. Buttercup with 68.131 b fat and 66.341 b fat and Allan Bros.’ eight-year-old v.h.c. matron, Pareora Echo Cherry, 65.601 b fat. The latter cow has the good total of 430.311 b fat in 170 days to date. The Royal champion, Totara Forest Lass, and her herd mate Totara Marathon Canty, and Royds and Williams’s (Five Rivers) high-testing Fendalton Pansy Posch 4th, also produced over 601 b fat in 28 days.