600 



Daiey Cattt.e in Denmark. 



[Oct., 



tion of their exterior, their build, so-called milk sign, such as 

 size of udder, Guenon's mirror and so on. Only a few prominent 

 breeders knew anything about the yield of milk of their cows, 

 none knew about the richness of the milk. Breeders suffered not 

 only from the uncertainty in the valuation of the individual cow 

 as a milk producer, but they were also uncertain as to the ability 

 of the cow to transmit her character as a milk producer to her 

 progeny. Even more difficult was the selection of the male 

 animal with a view to improved yield of milk. 



The milk recording societies brought about a change by 

 enabling the best productive cows to be picked out. The study 

 of the milk records was bound to cause an increase in the average 

 production, by eliminating the bad milkers and by breeding from 

 the good milkers. Concurrently a more liberal feeding was 

 adopted, the fodder being apportioned between the cows in pro- 

 portion to their yields. Because of the influence of the better 

 feeding it is impossible to say exactly what was the influence to 

 be ascribed to the milk recording societies, but the influence of 

 the general improvement in methods of breeding and rearing 

 of dairy cattle is easily perceptible. Take, for example, the 

 figures in the following table calculated from the records of the 

 milk recording societies in Funen. In 1909 the total number of 

 cows and of heifers which had calved in the island of Funen 

 was 153,500. The following average figures are calculated from 

 the records of all coivs belonging to members of the milk record- 

 ing societies, whether in milk or not, w^hether in calf or not : — 





Number 



Yield 



Percentage 



Yield 



Year. 



of coivs. 



o f milk. 



of fat. 



of butter 



1899-1900 



5,467 



6,822 



3-36 



255 



1902-03 



17,662 



7,410 



3-41 



282 



1905-06 



33,903 



7,240 



3-47 



279 



1908-09 



40,788 



7,473 



3-49 



290 



1911-12 



30,757 



7,667 



3-52 



301 



1913-14 



41,591 



7,832 



3-52 



308 



1915-16 



40,116 



7,938 



3-55 



323 



Similar results were obtained in other districts, but showing a 

 slightly smaller increase than for the societies nf Funen. In 

 judging these figures it should be borne in mind that for the 

 different years they refer to different animals, and particularly 

 that every year there are included new herds which have not 

 heen previously tested. The progress in individual societies, and 

 still more in individual herds, is often very much greater. 



Family Herdbooks. — It is the general rule in Danish dairy 

 farming that the farmer breeds his own cattle. He will select 



