TH6 JOURNAL 



OF 



^fie department of Mgricufture 



07 





VICTORIA. ftoTAHiCAU 



Vol. XVI. Part 4. 10th April, 1918. 



THE ADVANTAGES OF HERD-TESTINGl. 



By J. S. McFadzean, Senior Dairy Supervisor. 



It would be rash for any one to prophesy the length of time required 

 to bring about definite changes in agricultural method, even where the 

 alterations must assuredly result in a profitable monetary return. The 

 conservativeness of our farmers has frequently been illustrated in 

 different branches of farm practice, wherein the Department of Agri- 

 culture has advocated alteration or improvement of method in order to 

 bring about increased production. Too frequently the result has been 

 that, although even a small trial of an innovation demonstrated the 

 wisdom of the Departmental recommendation, the farming community 

 generally has proved very slow to listen to the advice offered. 



The testing and certification of pure-bred dairy cows is one of these 

 Government departures which at first made little headway, but which is 

 being more widely recognised every year as highly profitable work to all 

 dairy-farmers having the foresight to take advantage of it. 



It was in November, 1910, that an article was published in this 

 Journal pointing out that by failing to keep records of the milk and 

 butter-fat yields of their cows, breeders of high-class dairy stock were 

 neglectful of a profitable part in their business. The point overlooked 

 was the fact that buyers of young bulls for the improvement of ordinary 

 dairy herds were calling for such dairy records as a guide in making 

 their purchases. "Within six months of the publication of the article, 

 the matter had been given thorough consideration by several members of 

 the Royal Agricultural Society, with the result that the Department of 

 Agriculture was asked to arrange and carry out a scheme whereby 

 authenticated milking records of pure-bred cows could be obtained. Such 

 a scheme was drawn up, approved by the Minister of Agriculture, and 

 published for the information of pure stock-breeders. The first test was 



3975. 



