TUB AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. m 



Dairy -breeds Competition, 



IT may be remembered, says the writer 

 of " Farm Notes " in the " Manches- 

 ter Guardian," that what is described as 

 a pan-American competition is taking 

 place between the cattle of ten different 

 dairy breeds at the American Exhibition 

 which is now in progress. Details of (he 

 work performed by ever^ animal in every 

 herd, as well as of the collective herds, 

 are published from week to week, and in 

 one of the most practical of American 

 newspapers devoted to the industry the 

 herds are in several cases illustrated by 

 photographs taken on the exhibition 

 grounds. (The writer, unfortunately, 

 does not state on what the profit is based 

 —milk, butter, or cheese.) With regard 

 to the other animals it may be mentioned 

 that on the last date to hand— September 

 17th— the greatest i)rofit had been shown 

 by the Guernsey cattle, followed by the 

 Jerseys with second place, by the Ayr- 

 shires with third place, the Dutch coming 

 fourth, the Red Polls fifth, next the Swiss, 

 the French Canadian, and, last but one, 

 the Shorthorns and the Polled Jerseys, 

 which are practically bracketed together. 

 Thus the Shorthorns take the last place 

 but one. What is the reaso-i of this ? 

 When we come to the quantity of milk 

 produced we find the Dutch cattle an easy 

 first, followed by the Ayrshires and the 

 Swiss, and then by the Red Polls, the 

 Guernseys, and the Jerseys, Shorth'.>rns 

 here taking seventh place. In a word, 

 they were beaten by every recognised 

 breed, for the remaining three varieties, 

 the French Canadian, the Dutch Belted, 

 and the Polled Jersey s, are but modern 

 and manufactured varieties, if such they 

 can be termed at all. If we examine the 

 quality of the milk we find ■cg,i\n that the 

 Shorthorn is at fault, for it still takts 

 only seventh place. The next question 

 which aiises in order to ascertain the 

 causes of the various positions of the 

 breeds is that relating to the cost of the 

 food consumed, and here we find that the 

 Shorthorns stand at the top, which prac- 

 tically means the bottom, for they cost 

 more than any oth^r cattle, although the 

 Dutch are but a fraction behind them. 

 The Ayrshires— much smaller— produced 



I a great deal more milk as well as a great 

 deal more fat, and cost infinitely less to 

 feed ; but it is well to note that the three 

 fancy breeds to which I have referred 

 cost the least to feed. I regard this fact 

 as of considerable importance, for it indi- 

 cates—what I have already desired to 

 impress upon the reader— that there is 

 a distinct relationship between the 

 quantity of produce given by an animal 

 and the food she eats. A big producer 

 must of necessity be a big feeder, and it 

 would appear once more that a small pro- 

 ducer is a small feeder, although this is 

 not a case of necessity. It is, of course, 

 still p.'-rsible for the Shorthorns to take a 

 higher position before the competition 

 closes. The figures I have supplied cover 

 the time between the 1st of May and the 

 17th of September, but during the last 

 week, that ending at the latter date, the 

 Shorthorns bad risen to the second place 

 in the production of milk, and had im- 

 proved their position in the quantity of 

 \ butter fat they had yielded. Further, the 

 Holsteins had commenced to cost more 

 for food, thus giving the Shorthorn the 

 second place. In spite of these advan- 

 tages the Shorthorn held only the sixth 

 ! place from the point of view of net profit, 

 and after all thac is the point which the 

 j practical farmer considers. We have 

 I never attempted to emulate the Americans 

 in competitions of this kind, and I reg'-et 

 , that not only are they cheaply held by 

 j those concerned in this country, but the 

 I American tests are either ridiculed or 

 I ignored by those who ought to know 

 better, and who should be the first to 

 admit our own shortcomings and the 

 j necessity for following the example oEthe 

 i more practical leaders of the American 

 dairy cattle-breedinp- industry. 



Evidence of the close inspuctiou to which 

 London's meat supply is subjected appeirs in the 

 annual reporc of the city health authorities, who 

 state that 962 tons of beef, mutton, and other 

 descriptions of meat were condemned as unfit 

 tor iood last year. Of the total supply that 

 passed through the market, amounting to 410,380 

 tons, America contributed 23 2, Australia and 

 iVew Zealand 2r9, and other outside places Ib i 

 per cent. 



