Live Stock and Horse Breeding Improvement. 



539 



financial assistance from the Ministry. Fully eighty per cent, 

 of the societies subsidised by the Ministry were formed for the 

 purpose of the Scheme, and in the year under review only 14 

 out oi the 83 societies which received a grant under the Scheme 

 were in existence prior to its commencement. ^lost of the 

 societies are in a, satisfactory financial position, and it is hoped 

 that they will caiTy on without the Ministry's grant. 



Sheep. — The Ihnited financial assistance given by the 

 ^Ministry in 1919-20 and 1920-21 to a scheme for the improve- 

 ment of Welsh ^Mountain sheep was continued during 1921-22. 

 Grants at the rate of 3s. 4d. per ew^e served, up to a maximum 

 of £10, were made to eleven societies in respect of 13 approved 

 rams. 791 ewes were served, being an average of 61 per ram. 

 The ram, ew^es and the progeny are required by the Eegulations 

 to be earmarked. The average hiring fee of the rams w^as 

 £10 6s. 2d. and the average service fee was Is. 7d. 



This scheme is very popular in the districts for which it was 

 provided, and it is hoped to extend it as and w'hen opportunity 

 offers. 



Milk Recording. — Notwithstanding any fears that may have 

 existed as to the effect of the upward tendency of the cost of 

 recording and particularly as regards the institution of a charge 

 for certificates and the sudden drop in the price which the pro- 

 ducer obtains for his milk, the Milk Recording Section of the 

 Scheme has continued its progress. Six societies and 37,000 

 cows were added during the recording year 1st October, 1920 — 

 1st October, 1921. The movement has penetrated into practi- 

 cally every county in England, and in Wales w'here milk record- 

 ing has more recently been taken up, there are only 4 counties 

 not yet provided for. 



The annual i-eturns furnished by the 52 Societies for the re- 

 cording year under review show that of the 97,903 cows and 

 heifers recorded, 49 per cent, were animals w^hich had been 

 retained in the herds for the full year, and the average yield 

 of these full-year cows was 6,562 95 lb. — a slight advance on the 

 average for the previous year w^hen the full-year cows, which 

 represented 44 per cent, of the cow^s and heifers recorded, gave 

 an average of 6,527-3 lb. The large influx of previously un- 

 recorded cow^s at the commencement of the year has again 

 tended to keep the average of full-year cow^s low^er tlian may 

 reasonablv be expected in due course, but the averages shown 

 in the followino- statement compare very favnural^lv with the 

 general average of all cows in milk thi-oughonf fho country. 



