VALUE OF TESTING.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10433, 27 February 1923, Page 4

VALUE OF TESTING.

SOME STRIKING RESULTS

The testing of both purebred and grade milking herds iB carried on in the Lob Angeles district of California. The last annual report of the testing association shows that 14

pure bred herds comprising 252 cows averaged 11,234 pounds of 3.5 per cent, milk and 397.8 pounds of butter-fat, and 23 grade herds comprising 2162 cows, averaged 8546 pounds of 4 per cent, milk and 342.5 pounds of butter-fat. Forty-nine per cent, of all grades tested produced more than 400 pounds of butterfat in the year. The report directs attention to the increased production of pure breds over grades. While the testing work is only four years old in Los Angeles county, yet much benefit has already been realised Herd owners are enabled to discover their unprofitable cows, and by their elimination increase the average production. Through testing and culling one farmer increased his average , butter-fat production from 30G.5 pounds to 153.2 pounds in the last year. In five herds using grade bulls, the average butter-fat production last year was 324.4 pounds, while in herds using pure bred bulls the average production was 352.4 pounds.