DANISH DAIRYING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 163, 13 July 1933, Page 8

DANISH DAIRYING

INSURING BEST STOCK. The great majority of Danish herds are small, due to farms being small, states Joseph Nathan and £o., London, in a letter to their clients. More than 00 per cent, of Danish dairy herds have less than 15 cows. These herd owners arc compelled to use bulls in co-opera-tion with neighbours. For this reason as soon as the co-operative idea developed in Denmark, a co-operative arrangement was tried out and developed in keeping good bulls for service. There are now over 1200 cattle breeding societies with more than 30,000 members. The societies and clubs have made it possible for the farmer with even a herd of only two or three cows to have the service of as good a bull of superior type, pedigree, and breeding performance as is used by the largest breeder. These societies have been a prime agency in reducing the total amount of bulls used and in reducing use of inferior bulls. These societies have always boon closely connected with the cattle shows and testing associations and have been without doubt one of the principal means by which the average production of milk and butterfat has been more than doubled in Danish dairy cattle in a very few years. The breeding societies and bull clubs will only use a bull known as a “figure ■4” bull whoso dam has produced at least 88001 b 4 per cent. milk. In 1930 there were approximately 1,630,000 cows in milk, of which approximately 1,630,000 cows in milk, of which approximately 40 per cent, were under test in testing associations. This gives 630,000 cows on test. With their present attitude towards testing and the purpose and use of records, the Danish breeders follow closely all blood linos and quickly spot out those lines and animals that are bringing about improvement ond eliminate all others before they are of any detriment to the breed.