Juyie 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 



419 



Summary of Production Standards. 

 The following table shows the average yield of all Government and 

 privatel3'-owned cattle that have completed the 273-days' tests during the 

 last two years, as compared with the official standards for the diif^rent 



It is once more made evident that the standard adopted by the Association 

 is not on the high side ; rather the reverse, as it has been considerably 

 exceeded by the average in all three claeses during the past three years. 

 The above table shows the position for the last two years. The calculations 

 in 1917-18 were made on the O'Callaghan chart in terms of estimated butter, 

 and cannot be compared exactly with the foregoing, but they also show a 

 considerable excess, as follows : — 



4 years old and over — Standard, 300 lb. butter. 



Actual average, 434 lb. 

 3 j-ears old and under 4- — Standard, 250 lb. butter. 

 - Actual average, 354 lb. 



• Under 3 years old — Standard, 200 lb. butter. 



Actual average, 337 lb. 



During the past three years, 559 cows have been tested altogether 

 (not including Government stock in 1917-18); and of these, 467 (83 percent.) 

 have reached the stendard set for each age-class. Tt seems evident, therefore, 

 that if any revision of standards is made, it should be to make them higher, 

 certainly not lower. 



Herd-testing Associations. 



The auxiliary of the herd-testing movement among owners of pure-bred 

 stud stock is the testing carried out by means of co-operative associations 

 amongst dairy farmers. One of the main purposes of the Pure Bred Cattle 

 Breeders' Association is to demonstrate the maximum yields of stud cows, 

 and that heifers bred from them on certain lines are liable to reproduce these 

 high-production qualities ; also that bulls bred from approved sires and 

 select dams have the capacity of begetting offspring equally as good or better 

 than the foundation pure-bred strains through which they are descended. 

 The object of those dairy-farmers who are testing their herds is to ascertain 

 what every cow is capable of doing over a period of twelve months under 

 normal conditions, in order to be able to know with a fair degree of certainty 

 whether each is pi'oducing enough to be a payable proposition. In this case 



