THE DUAL PURPOSE COW.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 95, 5 December 1911, Page 6

THE DUAL PURPOSE COW.

USELESS AS A MILK PRODUCER. Mr E. J. Nathan had something to say in regard co the dual purpose cow ai.d the vino of milk tests at the opening of the Taikorea cheese factory, says the Palmerston “Standard.” lie Intel heard a lot of tins type of cow, he said, but it was not a type that he had much faith in: in fact, tie had always been opposed to it. If they wanted to gee a cow for the purpose of producing cite greatest amount of milk for the amount of outlay, it was essential that they should breed from a milking strain. if they w anted a racehorse they did not breed a half-draught j they bred from the purest strain obtainable. It they wanted a milk-producing cow they must concentrate all tneir energies towards producing cows from recognised milking strains; if they wanted a beef cow they must devote their energies towards the production oi a cow of that type, but they could not mix the t.vo. Purity of the breed was absolutely necessary. if they kept steadily in view the definite object of'breeding a cow capable of producing a largo quantity of butter fat there was no reason why the present output should not he doubled within the next ten years, provided, of course, that they pay attention' to the herd generally, and after careful testing culled out all cows that were unprofitable. Testing associations were being formed in various parts of the country, and the farmers in that district would take the matter up. The best results could only he obtained after careful individual tests, and it was impossible to pick out the most profitable cow in a herd without doing so. Guess work was worse than useless, as, although a cow might be a fairly good milk producer, her test might not he very good, while the amount of food she consumed had also to ha taken into consideration. Farmers had to realise the value of testing, which could only he done properly with a Babcock tester. If they did this lie had no doubt whatever that there was a bright future before the industry iit this Dominion.