194 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 April, 1918. 



conducted during 1912-13, and the fifth annual report on Pedigree Herd- 

 testing Avas placed on record by the Chief Veterinary Officer in thitJ 

 Journal in September last. 



During the past year twenty-four breeders of pure dairy stock 

 submitted their herds to this Government testing, and there is every 

 indication that this number will rapidly be added to. Buyers looking 

 for complete milking records in the pedigrees of pure-bred dairy stock 

 can now be supplied, and consequently Government-tested cattle have a 

 much enhanced value as breeding stock. Young bulls bred from cattle 

 hall-marked by having Government herd-testing records in their pedi- 

 grees are in high demand, and there is no doubt that the work done by 

 the Chief Veterinary Officer and his staff in carrying out this scheme 

 must be a strong factor towards increasing the future production of dairy 

 produce in this State, both in total bulk and individual cow returns. 

 Even those breeders who so far have not brought their herds under this 

 Government test are very much alive to what is being done, and the test- 

 ing of pure-bred stud dairy cows by their owners may be said to be now 

 almost universally practised in this State, and with at least some desire 

 for thoroughness. 



Even under the Departmental system the owner of each herd is 

 actually responsible for the regular daily weighing of the milk yield of 

 each of the cows tested. This, however, is checked by officers of the 

 J)epartment also taking the weights at irregular intervals, and when 

 taking samples of each cow's milk for the monthly butter-fat test. Thus 

 the Department is able to vouch for the accuracy of the work done by the 

 owniers, and the annual publication in this Jouriial of the names and per- 

 formances of all certificated cows and heifers places the detailed infor- 

 mation of the tests at the service of all who are interested in it. 



These records are of special value in making dairy-farmers ac- 

 quainted with the milking capabilities of the several breeds of pure 

 stock. In the Government test no cow over four years old is granted a 

 certificate unless she has produced 250 lbs. of butter fat in the nine 

 months' milking term. On a 4 per cent, butter-fat basis this is equal 

 to 62.5 gallons of milk, or a daily average of 2\ gallons for the whole 

 nine months. This 9 quarts a day average for nine consecutive months 

 is not an extraordinarily high standard, yet how many herds other than 

 those owned by breeders of pure stock have cows giving this quantity 1 



Last year's records show that 146 stud cows over four years old, 

 25 cows on their second calf, and 42 heifers on their first calf all exceeded 

 this 250 lbs. butter-fat standard. The whole of the 55 certificated 

 heifers gave an average of 272 lbs. of butter fat per head, the 33 second- 

 calf cows averaged 303 lbs. per head, and the 146 cows over four years 

 old averaged 336 lbs. per head for the nine months' terra. The whole 

 of the 234 cows and heifers gaining the certificate during last year gave 

 an average of 317 lbs. of butter fat in their nine months' term, and for 

 cows getting nothing more in the way of feeding than they should get 

 in ordinary dairy-farm treatment, this is a very satisfactory perform- 

 ance, and one that should prove very interesting to all dairy-farmers. 



When it is remembered that the estimated average yield from the 

 whole of the milking cows in the State is under 150 lbs. of butter fat 

 per year, it is very plain that there must be thousands of very poor- 

 quality cattle in milk to drag the average down as low as this, and the 



