ON AGRICULTURE TO DENMARK 



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the elimination of impurities, and the treatment and preparation of 

 the fluid for sale in a form calculated to ward off disease germs, 

 are prime necessities of public health ; while an organised system 

 of collection, preparation, and distribution enables the management 

 to impose salutary conditions on the dairy farmers for the keeping, 

 feeding, and milking of the cows. In this respect our Scottish 

 cities not only fall short of the example of Denmark, but of the 

 requirements of a scientific hygiene. There is here an important 

 field for private or municipal enterprise. 



Improvement of D^ry Cattle and Keeping of 

 Milk Records 



What are we doing in Scotland in this respect ? If we except 

 a few well-managed herds situated in two or three counties, there 

 is no such thing as keeping regular and authentic milk records, or 

 having the milk tested to ascertain the percentage of butter-fat in 

 the milk of individual cows. It is true we have a herd-book in 

 which the pedigrees of Ayrshire cattle are registered, but what is its 

 value in the direction of grading up a stock on the lines the Danes 

 are moving in ? There is nothing within its pages to guide anyone 

 in the direction indicated. By adopting one line of breeding, and 

 keeping to a certain class of pedigree, we are likely to breed animals 

 with nice outlines, broad torrs, fine shoulders and necks, and often 

 weak constitutions. This class of cattle win prizes at our principal 

 shows up till they are two years old, but are seldom heard of after. 

 If, on the other hand, another and quite distinct line of pedigree be 

 chosen to breed from, a class of animal may be obtained unfit to 

 win a prize until shown in milk. With this class we may get the 

 desired formation of milk vessel and set of teat, but not necessarily 

 a good dairy cow ; often indeed quite the reverse. Our national 

 and other societies offer valuable prizes for males and females of 

 this distinctive dairy breed, but the improvement resulting there- 

 from may be gauged by the fact that the owner of a first prize cow 

 in milk would never for a moment think of mating his cow to the 

 winner in the male section of the same class. He knows too well 

 that the result would be most unsatisfactory. This state of matters 

 is not creditable to breeders of dairy cattle. Several of our Agri- 

 cultural Societies have at various times attempted to get on to more 

 rational lines by promoting milking competitions at their shows, but 

 generally have met with so little support that the scheme had to be 

 abandoned. The Ayrshire Agricultural Society made a most praise- 

 worthy effort in this direction, but through lack of interest and 

 support the competition had to be dropped. Latterly the Highland 

 and Agricultural Society have started a scheme in the dairying 

 counties in the West of Scotland on somewhat similar lines to that 

 adopted by the Control Society in Denmark, and it is to be hoped 

 that the tabulated results of these inspections and tests which are 

 being published will tend to draw more attention to this important 

 subject, and lead to its more extensive adoption. Mention should 

 also be made of the competition inaugurated some years ago by the 



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