348 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[8 June, 1907. 



DEYELOP.MEXT OF DAIRY 8H0RTH0RXS. 



R. T. Archer, Dairy Expert. 



A study of the records gi\-en below of a herd of Shorthorns will go 

 a long way to place that magnificent breed in its true light with regard to 

 the dairy farmer, and will be particularly interesting to those who kno\\- 

 the value of Shorthorns when a proper system of management is ai)plied to 

 them. 



Some vears ago-, Mr. Manifold determined to develop a dairy herd o-it 

 of his station bred Shorthorns. The system adopted is to weigh the milk 

 of each cow one day in e\erv month, and take that as the average for 

 the whole month ; to take a composite sample of the milk of each dav for 

 a whole week in each moaith. When these results are compared with the 

 returns from the factory, it is found that thev correspond approximately. 

 These that do not give satisfactory returns are sent back to fatten. All 

 low test animals are culled and the result is very evident in the annual 



" Nellie, 



SOME TYPICAL SPECIMENS. 



Stella," ■■ Tansy," " Flo," " Corkscrew.'' 



average test, the lowest of which is 3.7. while the highest is 6.2. Very 

 few come below 4.0, and one (Xo. 123). for four successive years averaged 

 5.2, 5.5, 6.2 and 5.0 respectively, which will compare favorably with the 

 rich milking Jerseys. This cow's return for the four periods of lactation 

 were : — 330 days in milk, 395 lbs. butter ; 240 days, 339 lbs. ; 270 days, 

 353 lbs. ; 210 days, 259 lbs. ; she must have been 9 or 10 years' old then, 

 for none of them calve the first time till three years' old. 



Many lessons may be derived from a study of the records. Last year 

 13 heifers on their first calf milked altogether' on 3,820 days, and totalled 

 3.769 lbs. butter, or a fraction under a pound a day. One gave 403 lbs. 

 of butter in 365 days. In 1905 the averages of the 13 heifers were as 

 follow :— In milk, 293 days; milk, 583 gallons; test, 4.53; butter, 

 289.9 lt>s- ; return at lod. per lb., ^12 is. 7d. By the records it will be 

 seen that some of the cows milked over 500 davs without a break, and 

 averaged nearly a pound of butter a day for the whole time. No. 473 in 



