ON APPEARANCE

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 46, 25 February 1936, Page 8

ON APPEARANCE

JUDGING DAIRY COWS A SHOW COMPETITION The butter-fat competition organised and conducted by the Southern Hawke’s Bay Herd Testing Association during the two days of the Agricultural and Pastoral Show this month has been finalised and resulted in Mr. S. N. Drew, of Tataramoa, being declared the winner, states the “Dannevirke News.” Only five persons managed to place as many as three out of the five cows in their right order of production, and the judges awarded the prize to the one who came nearest to the actual figures in his estimate of the production of each cow. There were close on 50 entries, and it is interesting to note that no one person managed to place all five cows in their right order of production. Fourteen only placed the highest cow first, and not less than 10 put her down in the lowest position.

This should prove pretty conclusively that a dairy cow cannot be judged for production on appearances, and that the only safe and sure method of ascertaining what cows are worth retaining in the herd and those that should be culled out is by testing. The competition, considering it was the first of its kind undertaken in this district, created a fail' amount of interest amongst dairy-farmers, and the promoters are quite satisfied with the results.