BETTER HERDS.

Thames Star, Volume LX, Issue 16855, 4 August 1926, Page 8

BETTER HERDS.

AND MORE RUTTER-FAT. LARGE NUMBER OF CROSSBRED BULLS FARMERS TO CONSIDER MATTER, At the coming conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union no matter will l)o more closely considered than the scrub bull question. That there is urgent need for some improveent in the Dominion's dairy herds will lie seen from the figures of bulls in the country. On January 31/1921, there were in New Zealand 7835 purebred hulls (milking cattle), whereas there were at the same date 33,470 scrub, or crossbred bulls of two years of age and upwards. At the conference of the Royal Agricultural Society last year it was proposed should be written to and asked to devise a scheme for the elimination ol scrub bulls on the lines of the scheme in operation in South Australia, but the conference decided to submit the matter to the Board of Agriculture. The board has reported to the society as follows: — “Consideration of the matter was postponed pending the receipt of further information which the Department of Agriculture was asked to secure concerning the working of the Dairy Improvement Act in South Australia. Concerning this the Director of Agriculture in South Australia has written: ‘lt has, in our opinion, proved very .advantageous to local dairymen. Under this Act all bulls over six months old have been compulsorily licensed every year, enabling •us to accumulate a sum of money which has been earmarked for the improvement of the dairying industry. Among the improvements brought about has been assistance towards the purchase of purebred bulls of approved milking ancestry. This assistance has taken the form of a 60 per cent, subsidy payable from this.fund. In addition, the cost of assistance to herd testing .associations has been defrayed from this fund.’ ” The Board of Agriculture is to consider the matter at an early date. In Western Australia every bull over the age of six months must be registeerd at a fee of 10/-. Registration may be refused if a bull does not comply with the standard .adopted, and the bull must be destroyed unless other directions are issued by the Board of Appeal which is provided. In South Australia the Government subsidises the) piurjcliasje. of purebred bulls which are distributed among the owners of small herds. In Tasmania all bulls must be registered, and .after three years only purebred or grade bulls can be used. A grade bull is defined as one which had either a pure bred sire or dam in a registered herd hook. After a few years it is proposed to disallow grade bulls, aud this will effectually raise the standard of cows, and consequently the production of but-ter-fat. In Victoria there is no restriction, and it is said that there is more difficulty in producing good cattle there than there was 20 years ago.