10 July, 1916.] Tlie raising of Dairy Heifers. 



387 



There is a considerable variation in the natural conformation of cattJe 

 of any particular breed. One type may belong to the beef cattle, and 

 another be the ideal of the show-yard fancier ; a third may be controlled 

 by the richness of the pastures. For instance, Jerseys bred and reared 

 on the best Western and Gippsland farms, almost attain the size of short- 

 horns. While they would not win a prize in the show-yard in competi- 

 tion with the fine-boned type, their milking qualities are not impaired, 

 but rather increased, and they possess a nu;ch stronger constitution. 



The sooner the farmers of the State pay more attention to the pro- 

 ductive qualities of their cattle, the sooner will their returns increase, 

 provided cattle are pure bred, and have inherent milking ability. On 

 appearance, some of the very best cows in the State to-day would be 

 classed as beefers; but any good dairy cow should put on flesh when 

 not producing, as the food usually needed to make milk and butter 

 is then building up nature's storehouse to draw upon during the lacta- 

 tion period. 



A ciroup of Calves at Louisiana Experiiuea'L station. 

 Trough and Bail Feeding. 



The Department of Agriculture, through its Pure-bred Herd Testing 

 Scheme, is doing good work for the farmer, if he only realized it. 

 Published lists of the performances of in any of our pure herds should 

 give him a good idea where to purchase a sire. These sires can be 

 purchased at a very reasonable price from the breeders, and there is 

 no excuse for a dairyman to be using a bull from an untested cow. A 

 few extra pounds sj:>ent in the purchase of the right bull is a good 

 investment, when we consider the increased value of his progeny. 

 A dozen heifers a year for three years, at an increased value of only £1 

 per head, would mean £36. But the majority of our farmers would 

 be astounded if asked to give that ])riee f(ir a hull. They seem content 

 to rely on the ]>rogeny of mongrel sires, valued by the number of cows 

 they put in calf. 



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