572 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Sept., 1919. 



Careful selection, rigid culling, decent housing, and scientific feed- 

 ing will undoubtedly considerably raise the return per bird and make 

 the industry distinctly profitable, but it is beyond question that the 

 industry has been severely affected by the war, and at times statements 

 are made without due regard to facts. An average net price of Is. 3d. 

 a dozen, on a yield of 180 eggs per bird would show a reasonable margin 

 of profit on the basis that food, labour, and plant are now worth 3d 

 per bird per week, a cost of 13s. per annum against a return of 18s. 9d " 



SOME URGENT NEEDS OF THE DAIRY FARMER. 



./. Matthews, Dairy Supervisor. 

 Testing and Culling. 



The doctrine of " weeding out the wasters," taught by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for years, has been learnt by some of our dairy 

 farmers, and from almost every herd that has been tested cows have 

 been sent to the fattening paddock. That there is urgent need for a 

 wide extension of the test system is only too apparent to any one who 

 has inspected many of the herds of the State. 



The common objection to the system is that under it too much time 

 is required to weigh and record the weight of eaph cow's milk. The 

 feebleness of this objection is shown when it is mentioned that a cow's 

 milk can be weighed and recorded in less than one minute. Most of 

 those offering this weak reason for not testing their cows apparently 

 forget that in every herd there are almost certainly a few wasters, 

 which yield the farmer no return whatever after the cost of feed and 

 attention is met. The time it takes to milk these unprofitable animals 

 would more than suffice to weigh and record the weight of a decent- 

 sized herd. After travelling different parts of the State, I am convinced 

 that if the dairy herds of the whole State were tested, probably about 

 one-fourth of them would be found somewhere on the border-line of 

 profit and loss. It will, therefore, be seen that the testing of cows is 

 a very serious question for the farmer. 



The fact that the average dairy fanner to-day is settled on a 

 comparatively small holding, and that his herd is consequently a limited 

 one makes the necessity for testing more urgent. He has no surplus 

 feed for "boarders"; therefore it is imperative, if his dairying is to 

 b© successful, that every cow should b© of a good order. The test 

 system is the only reliable way of proving which cows are profit-makers 

 and Avhich are not, and very few of those who adopt it fail to con- 

 tinue it. 



At the same time, it is not suggested that all the culling should 

 be made from the female part of a herd. If better bulls had been 

 sought in the past, the heavy culling, so essential now, would not have 

 been necessary. There is no doubt that if many of the sires of to-day 

 were replaced by better animals there would be a very great gain to 

 future herds. Surely it is a short-sighted policy for a farmer to save 

 his best heifer calves, and then mate them with some nondescript bull. 



