Vol. XII. No. 300, 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



341 



LIVE STOCK NOTES. 



DAIRYING IN JAMAICA. 



There exists at present in .lamaica land at the rate of 

 2i acres per head of papulation, %vhich is in bush and not 

 productive. This circumstance, together with the fact that 

 the population consumes per head the ecjuivalent of 3i 

 quarts of cow's milk in the form of the imported tinned 

 article, has prompted the Director of the'Jaraaica Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture (Mr. H. H. Cousins, M.A., F.C.S.) to 

 publish in the liulletin of the Department (Vol. II, No. 7) 

 the interesting and important article under consideration. 



lief ore proceeding to abstract the essential points put 

 forward in this account, it may be further explained in 

 regard to the objects of the article, that Mr. Cousins draws 

 attention to a third circumstance in support of the necess- 

 ity for the improvement of dairy cows and increased milk 

 production in Jamaica, namely, that one of the chief causes 

 of infantile mortality is the improper feeding of children, 

 owing to the difficulty of obtaining pure milk in sufficient 

 quantity. 



As a class, the native milk cattle in Jamaica are not 

 adapted to milk production; they have in the past been 

 developed almost entirely for purposes of beef, on the one 

 hand, or draft on the other. F.ven when, as occasionally 

 does occur, a calf is born with a marked capacity for giving 

 a good flow of milk, such an animal generally turns out to be 

 so wild that she can only be milked when thrown on the 

 ground. It is interesting to note that a typical record for 

 lactation of a native milch animal uas the production of 

 of 1,107 quarts (2,978 lb.) of milk in ten months, with 

 a. maximum of 5-2 quarts when fresh, and a daily average 

 of 3"7 quarts. 



.lERSEY UREED UNIFOIt.MLY SUCCESSFUL. 



With a view to improving the general standard of dairy 

 cows, a number of superior animals have been imported 

 during the past fifteen years from the United States, Canada 

 and Barbados. Ten years ago the Hoistein breed war, in great 

 favour, but it has been found tliat the blood of this breed 

 depreciates owing to the attacks of the parasites of tick fever. 

 It may be accepted that the Hoistein has proved unsuitable 

 as a milch cow for out-of door life in Jamaica. As regards 

 ({uernseys, it is stated that this breed will most probably 

 Ije found of great value for dairy purposes in Jamaica when 

 suitably acclimatized and hardened by a small infusion of 

 Indian blood from a dairy strain. The value of shorthorns 

 will be referred to in detail later; it may be noted in passing, 

 that the writer of the article under consideration believes 

 that a quarter of shorthorn blood is a suitable proportion 

 for the production of a useful general purpose breeding cow 

 in Jamaica. The chief disadvantage otiered by the South 

 Devon breed is that it does not possess sufficient prepotence 

 to stamp its quality on miscellaneous cows of low milking 

 capacity. A good deal of Jersey blood, however, has been 

 used for some ti«ie by specialist dairymen in Jamaica, and 

 experience has shown that of all the breeds so far tested the 

 Jersey has proved itself the most prepotent and uniformly 

 successful in stamping dairy quality ob the native Jamaican 

 stock. 



In regard to the composition* of the average cow's 



*Fii;ures shovvini^ the <;(>iM^)osition of the milk from 

 ditferent breeds both in Jamaica and Trinidad, will lie i^iven in 

 the ne.xt i.ssue of this journal, — [Ed. ^.A. ) 



0-70 

 0-6G 



1028 

 1025 



milk in Jamaica, the following table has been reproducect. 

 from the article acknowledged above: — 



Source. Total Fat. Solids Ash. Specific 



solids. not fat. Gravity.. 



GOT. 

 Average milk of 92 



Jamaica cows 1383 51 8G9 



Highest record of 



above (Barbados cow) 17'49 8-7, 879 

 Lowest record of 



above (Hoistein cow) 1010 2-9 720 070 1025 

 Average of mixed 



milk from 7 cows 



as sold to public 13-39 47 8 73 0-68 I-02& 



Legal standard of 



milk in U.K. 3-0 8 5 



Ditto in U.S.A. 3-2^ 8-5 



Ditto in Jamaica ;?-5 8-25 



Turning to general considerations regarding the im- 

 provement of dairy cattle in Jamaica, it i.s sugge.sted that 

 the most economical and ra{)id way of improving the 

 quality of native cows, is by using pure-bred bulls. It is- 

 stated that it is important to remember that 'unless any 

 breed of imported dairy cattle is capable of acclimatization 

 in Jamaica and of holding its own, in some degree, under our 

 special conditions of climate and of feeding, such a breed 

 should not be utilized for grading up our native cows.' 



EUEOPEAN BREED.S UNDER TROPICAL CONKITtONS. 



One of the reasons why the Hoistein is unsuitable is 

 because the skin of this cow is white, whereas that of a true- 

 tropical cow, such as the Indian Zebu, is black, although the 

 hair of the animal may be white. The Hoistein, therefore, is 

 greatly affected by the tropical sun. It is interesting to- 

 note, in continuation of the present subject, that the imported 

 Jersey animals have evidently insufficient capacity for blood 

 renewal to make good depreciation caused by tick fever 

 parasites with improved production cf milk. Although ii>^ 

 is believed that with care the Jersey can be successfully- 

 acclimatized in Jamaica, more useful results would undoubt- 

 edly accrue from crosses between this breed and the- 

 Indian Zebu, with the object of obtaining animals of larger 

 size. Such lialfbred animals have already been raised sue- 

 cessfuly. Two bull calves that should prove valuable to- 

 breeders in Jamaica have the following composition: J Jer- 

 sey, ^,J Indian, , jy native. 



The two remaining breeds dealt with are the Guernsey 

 and the Ayrshire. The former are believed to be the most 

 suitable of all the true dairy breeds of cattle for use in 

 Jamaica; the latter, however, on account of its being similar 

 to the Hoistein in regard to colour properties of the skin 

 is peculiarly undesirable for the Tropics. 



The above article will be contiaued in the next issue of the- 

 A'jrindtural Xews, when an account of the possibilities of 

 breeding dual purpose cattle will be described, and useful 

 hints presented in regard to tlie management of dairy cattle- 

 under tropical conditions. 



In referring to cattle-rearing in German East Africa, it 

 is Stated in Diplonnttic and Consular Reports, No. 5171 — 

 Annual Series, that too little attention has been paid in this- 

 territory to the improvement of the native cattle itself, whict 

 have several good qualities, and that it would probably repay 

 attention better than unsystematic crossing with imported 

 animals. 



