1910.] The Danish System of Cattle Breeding. 1005 



which the animals are judged at the shows and competitions. 

 The selection of cows within the Associations of Cattle 

 Breeders is also carried out on the basis of the data obtained 

 from the Control Union. 



Result of the Work. — If I am asked what has been the 

 result of all these features of the work of improving the 

 breeds of dairy cattle, I shall not be able to give a satisfactory 

 answer. I might say that the yield of Danish cows 

 averaged in 1864 about 80 lb. of butter; in 1887 116 lb. 

 of butter; and in 1908 220 lb. of butter. 



I might mention that the export of home-produced butter 

 from Denmark during the years 1865-1874 was about 130,000 

 cwt., while in 1905 it was 1,590,000 cwt., in 1907 1,710,000 

 cwt., in 1908 1,778,000 cwt. 



I might further mention that while the average yield of 

 Danish cows is about 220 lb. of butter, the average of the 

 40,000 cows in the Control Unions in Funen was about 

 285 lb., and that the average yield of the best herds is more 

 than 330 lb. of butter per cow. 



But these figures do not give a true representation of the 

 result of the improvement in the quality of the herds, which 

 is due to the better selection of breeding animals, because 

 concurrently with this improvement there have been other 

 improvements, notably in the better feeding of the cows and 

 the better rearing of the young stock. To feed our cattle, 

 we now have to import large quantities of corn and other 

 feeding stuffs, while the production of roots has been enor- 

 mously increased. The number of cows has also been 

 increased considerably. 



How much of the improvement is due to the better quality 

 of the herds, and how much to the better feeding, it is 

 impossible to say. But it is certain that there has been an 

 improvement, and a very considerable one, and I feel con- 

 vinced that our endeavours have tended to improve the breeds 

 of dairy cattle in Denmark. 



