THe JOURNAL 



OF 



^fie department of Hgriculture 



OF 



VICTORIA. 



Vol. XVII. Part 9. lOth September, 1919. 



THE STANDARD HERD TEST. 



Seventh Annual Report on Testing of Pedigree Herds, conducted 

 by the Department of Agriculture, Victoria, Year ended 

 30th June, 1919. 



By W. A. N. Rohertsmi, B.V. Sc, Chief Veterinarif Officer. 



Which, is the nioet popular brewed of dairy cows in Victoria ? A trip 

 through any of the dairying districts, a day at the markets or the cattle 

 pens at oiir leading shows, will supply the answer, and no one will deny 

 ite correctness — it is the Ayrshire. 



According to statistics published in the Ccmmonwealth T ear-Book, 

 the average yield of milk from cows in Victoria is 397 gal.ons. If we 

 allow an average test of 4 per cent., we shall find that this returns 

 158 lbs. of butter fat per cow. Even with the present high prices for 

 butter fat, it is evident that a very large number of dairy farmers — or, 

 perhaps, it would be better to say farmers dairying — make money from 

 outside sources and spend it in keeping their cows alive for no useful 

 purpose. It goes without saying that in such circumstances any 

 farmer's credit balance is very likely to be changed into an overdraft. 



The cost of keeping a dairy cow has been variously estimated from 

 time to time, but with the high costs now operating in the prices of 

 labour, appliances, concentrates, &c. , very few, if any, can be kept for 

 less than £10 per annum. Consequently, the " average cow " in 

 Victoria is a decided robber. There is but one way in which such 

 robbers can be detected, and that is by weighing and testing. 



Other than the Standard Test for pedigree herds conducted by the 

 Department of Agriculture, the only systematic testing carried on by 

 any association in Victoria is that of the Colac Herd Testing Associa- 

 tion. If we look to it for information to support or confute the state- 

 ment that one-third or more of the cows in this State do not pay for 

 their keep, we learn from the association's last report that of 600 cow? 

 submitted to test, 300 failed to I'each 200 lbs. of butter fat in their 



114.58. 



