The Waipa Post. Printed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1926. HERD IMPROVEMENT.

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1778, 3 July 1926, Page 4

The Waipa Post. Printed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1926. HERD IMPROVEMENT.

WITIH the approach of the new dairying season it is timely to refer to the practice of dairymen in many districts of destroying practically all their young calves—only those from perhaps half-a-dozen of the presumed best cows being kept. On some farms there is no definite step taken even to prove which are the best cows in the her'd. Thus it may be that the progeny of some cows of very high butterfat standard are destroyed. The increasing reliance by dairymen on the Babcock test per medium of herd tost-

ing organisations is worthy of cncou- [ ragenient and emulation. True in dm-, tricts where dried-milk is commercially more valuable than butter or ehjeese alone there is little incentive for dairymen to keep and feed more calves than are actually necessary to keep the herd up to standard in numbers, while the interest now being displayed, .in pig-raising for profit also militates against calf-rearing on anything but the most restricted scale. But a calf from sire and dam with good butterfat backing must always be valuable. Quality ought, needless to say, to be the main ambition of all breeders and owners of live stock. This does not imply that enormous prices should be paid for high-class pedigree animals. 'More care should, however, be devoted to breeding and upbringing, while the selection of the best young females is a matter of supreme importance. Once selected, these females should be mated to the test class of bulls the owner can afford. The best young females of the annual calf crop should, be well cared for in order that they may thrive steadily. If possible, pedigree sires should be used. The selection and retention of the very best females Avill, after a few generations, form a splendid lot of valuable cows that should show much uniformity of type and quality according to the ideals of the person responsible for their selection and breeding.

have already been several clearing sales of good class dairy herds and young stock in this district, while several breeders have offered, specially reared young bulls bred on approved butterfat lines. We are not aware that any very tempting offers for these animals were forthcoming at auction, or even by private treaty—'which is a pity, for it is distinctly discouraging to the men who are doing good sound spade work in herd improvement. There are several other good class herds yet to come under the hammer in this and neighbouring districts, and presumably the prices offering will only be approximately equal to recent standards.