THE BEST COW FOR THE DAIRY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1883, 31 July 1884, Page 2

THE BEST COW FOR THE DAIRY.

At the annual meeting of the shareholders of the Waikato Cheese and Baoon Factory Company a few days ago, the necessity for imptoving the bleed of our dairy cows was stiougly insisted on. It will be remembered that C.\pt. Steele and others advocated the infusion of Aryshire blood into the existing herds. The following information upon the subject is compiled from a report of the Gloucester Dairy farming Conference, which appears in the N.B. Agriculturist of June 4 :— At the Conference, Mr E. C Tisdall, of Kensington, read a most interest ing paper upon the selection and breeding of dairy cows. It is perfectly clear that Mr Tisdall has started with tlift intention of proving the shorthorn, of which race he has been known as the most formidable champion, is the best cow for the dairy fanner, whether for the sale of milk or the manufacture of butter or cheese. He had compiled an array of figures obtained trom the milk trials of the Dairy Show during five yeais, showing the quantity of milk obtained from each cow, as well as the fat, and the total solide. In this way he gave the following figures : -

Mr Tisdall quoted a few examples of shorthorn dairy farms showing the quantity of milk per cow per year, and also one or two examples of Jerseys, among which weie Mr George Simpson's, of Reigate ; but, strangely enough, he dismissed both the Ayrshire aud the red poll, with the remark that, ' although they have claims in their own localities, their suitability on dairy farms in general is too problematical to bring them within the reach of the present inquiry ;' and he concluded that the merits of shorthorns, Jerseys, Guernseys, and Dutch only were worth discussing. Bringing his figures to a closer issue, he allowed the relative value of the produce of these tribes as follows :— The shorthorn yielded 700 gallons, which, sold as butter at Is 3d per lb realised £25 10a, if sold as cheese at 75s per cwt. £24 13s, if sold as milk at 9cl per gallon £26 ss. The respective figures for the other breeds were : — Jersey, 520 gallons, £17 7s 6d, £17 ss, £19 10s ; Guernsey, 460ga15., £16 ss, £16 7s, £17 5s ; Dutch, 650ga15., £16 4s, £19 9s, £24 9s. So that shorthorns, with considerably less solids and fat thau either Jerseys or Guernseys, are nevertheless stated to be about 40 per, cent., more profitable, Mr Tisdall making no allowance for the difference in feed, and, indeed, adopting figures which are absolutely inadmissible when, taken in, conduction with actual .examples of .dairies. We should, like to have seen results ,not based upon hypothesis, but upon the real working of par- , ticular dairies, and we think this might be, done. t ,- , ~ - _ Mr Collinson Hall, of the Shorthorn Dairy, Company, followed with^practir, ;calfp^pern upon the same subject^ and =ala.o advocated <jb|jgb u,se,,of> the r B,horthor:a ; ,bufe^ bejrond .^Otjng\< particularly. Jajge , jyjfelds;6fjiis owji^&ft/did4n:Q^pfer.j apy^

Cows. Average ! milk per diem. Fat. Total solids. 13 Shorthorns .9 Jerseys .0 Guernseys 0 Dutch 3 Cross-brods lbs. 44 91 29 27 25 49 40 99 51'GG 3 79 4 2C 4 80 2 97 315 12 7 13 6 14 09 118 12 31