Dairy Cattle in Denmark. 



707 



— the determination by means of the milk records which bulls 

 are able to transmit to their progeny the character of high yield 

 of rich milk — has modified the aim of the modern breeder of 

 dairy cattle. The line-breeding which hitherto had been the 

 principal feature was found to restrict unduly the number of 

 animals between which to choose sires and dams. What is now 

 mostly desired is to find bulls with a good influence on the milk 

 yield. Both within the Eed Danish Dairy Cattle and the Jut- 

 land Breed, much of the progress during later years can be traced 

 back to the influence of a few bulls having remarkably strong 

 power to transmit higher milk yielding capacity to their progeny. 



The use of milk records in the breeding of dairy cattle both 

 by Hne-breeding and by employing bulls selected as explained 

 above, has now been carried on by many breeders for a sufficient 

 number of years to show definite results. The following figures 

 are taken from the records of various herds of the three breeds, 

 the Red Danish, the Jutland and the Shorthorn, mostly herds 

 of moderate size, owned by peasants in various parts of the 

 country. They give the average yields of the herds at two 

 different periods. 



Red Danish Breed. 



Year. 



Yield of Milk. 



Fat. 



Yield of Butter. 





lb. 



per cent. 



lb. 



1905-06 



8,941 



3-58 



356 



1915-16 



10,041 



4-11 



462 



1905-06 



9,427 



3-40 



356 



1915-16 



11,282 



4-30 



546 



1900-01 



9,104 



3-45 



350 



1914-15 



10,366 



4-19 



486 





Jutland Breed 







Year. 



Yield of Milk. 



Fat. 



Yield of Butter. 





lb. 



per cent. 



lb. 



1900-01 



5,315 



3-09 



183 



1916-17 



8,175 



. 3-87 



354 



1897-98 



5,922 



3.01 



196 



L913-14 



8,538 



3.84 



367 



1900-01 



6,228 



3-42 



240 



1913-14 



8,844 



3-90 



385 





Shorthorns. 







Year. 



Yield of Milk. 



Fat. 



Yield of Butter. 





lb. 



per cent. 



lb. 



1903-04 



6,349 



3-30 



238 



1915-16 



9,445 



3-85 



407 



1901-02 



6,864 



3-62 



277 



1911-12 



10,164 



4-06 



460 



Many more instances could be given ot herds with a similarly 

 improved yield, because these results are not obtained merely by 

 a few eminent breeders but by many farmers, large and small. 



c 2 



