622 



Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



TESTING DAIRY COWS AT LEONGATHA 

 LABOR COLONY. 



By P. Carroll. 



The following are the results of the first tests made of the herd of 

 dairy cows at the Leongatha Labor Colony for this year. It is 

 intended that similar records shall be made monthly in future. 



The figures possess but a limited value as yet, and are more 

 interesting as shewing the extent of variation in the quality of the 

 milk from one milking to another and from day to day. 



Coupled with the results of subsequent tests a valuable object 

 lesson demonstrating the utility of testing dairy cows and keeping 

 their records will be afforded. 



The quantity of each cow's milk night and morning was weighed 

 and a test made from four consecutive milkings, all the cows being 

 treated under practically similar conditions. 



Every care was taken to make these records reliable, for where- 

 ever a big discrepancy was noticed, the sample was retested or a 

 fresh sample procured. 



These results show how utterly unreliable a one day's test would 

 be in arising at the weekly product of a cow. In the case of No. 15 

 for example, the estimated yield of butter for each milking was 1"07 

 lbs., '89 lbs., -59 lbs., and -61 lbs. The first two were for night and 

 morning and show a total yield of 1'96 lbs. butter per day ; the next 

 two or the following day's, showed only 1-20 lbs, butter or f lbs. 

 butter less than on the previous day. 



There are many other instances more or less marked, in fact the 

 exception is where the tests are consistent, and the table requires no 

 amplification. 



Dairymen intending to cull their herd, after perusing the attached 

 must necessarily come to the conclusion that in order to do so 

 successfully, it will be necessary to extend the period of the test. 



