30 Feb., 1910.] Dairy Herd Competitiom, 1909. 95 



DAIRY HERD COMPETITIONS, 1909. 



A. V . Becker, Dairy Supervisor. 



Numurkali. 



It is a pity there were not more entries, but if the competition were 

 iheld earlier, say in October, I think there would be greater interest taken. 

 Mr. W. Hodgson comes first with 75 points, and Mr. J. J. Darbyshire 

 mext with 72 points. 



Mr. Hodgson is to L>e congratulated on the way he has kept his herd 

 ..milking all the year round, with the aid of his silo w'hich he has filled 

 again this year for the coming winter. He keeps his farm and buildings 

 in good order. If he could manage to weigh the milk daily and test 

 more often he would find the ad\antage in being able to cull his herd 

 3nore quicklv. When using milking machines it is not so easy to keep 

 ■daily records of the yields of the individual cows. 



Mr. Darbyshire has very complete records ot both \ields and tests, 

 ^but as he makes no provision whatever for winter feed his herd suffers 

 "in this respect, being practically only six months in milk, which is very 

 unprofitable dairying. With the Ayrshires he possesses, it is hard to 

 iniderstand whv he has not vet gone in for a silo in order to keep his herd 

 .milking all the year round. 



The following are the detailed points gained by each competitor in 

 ■the different sections: — 



Sections— 

 (Maximum points ; 25 in each section.) 



'•Cleanliness, construction and arrangement of jards 



and buildings. 

 Management of farm from a dairying stand-point 

 Methods of recording yield and test 

 •Other features, such as quality and type of herd, breed- 



Nathalia. 



There was onl\ one farm worth v of inspection ; the other farm entered 

 was altogether below standard as regards sanitation, general management 

 and the like, to lie entered for a competition. 



Mr. A. H. King, the successful competitor, is methodical and tidy iii 

 the management of his farm; and although his buildings are very primi- 

 tive in their construction, thev are kept clean. He also shows some fore- 

 thought in providing winter feed for his cows, having a large stack of 

 silage made from a paddock of wild oats. From the results obtamed _f rom 

 a plot of lucerne in his garden, I should think it well worth his while to 

 put in two or three acres by the side of the billabong. 



I would stronglv advise the daily weighing of the milk and the pur- 

 chase of a Babcock tester in order to cull out the wasters in the herd, 

 ^nd to get a better quality of dairv type than there is at present. 



