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MILKING AND BUTTER-TEST TRIALS. 



It will, I think, scarcely be denied, even by the most pre- 

 judiced, that during the latter half of the past century great 

 changes have taken place in the agricultural world, and in no 

 department, perhaps, has more improvement been shown than 

 in the breeding of live stock. 



The value of pedigree, the knowledge that " like produces 

 like," coupled with the large amount of money that has been 

 given in prizes at the various agricultural shows, have all tended 

 to the same end ; but, unfortunately, with the exception of the 

 Channel Island cattle, beef has been the ultimate aim of the 

 breeders of cow stock. The final idea of the butcher has been 

 predominant, and the tendency and ability to put on flesh 

 quickly and, therefore, economically, has over-ridden all other 

 points, with the result that the milking properties in some of the 

 older breeds of cattle have been almost bred out. This may 

 appear an exaggeration, but it can hardly be gainsaid when one 

 finds that, at a recent show, the judges were unable to award 

 a Breed Society's prize, because the animals which received 

 honours in the inspection classes could not obtain the number 

 of points in the milking trials necessary to qualify, while those 

 which obtained the proper number of points in the milking trials 

 were not noticed by the inspection judge. 



With a view to encourage the improvement of dairy cattle, 

 milking and butter-test prizes were initiated some few years 

 since; but owing to the absence in the former of a condition pre- 

 cedent insisting on pedigree, the good that might have resulted 

 has in many cases been neutralised, the bulk of the winners in 

 the heavy weight classes being generally cross-bred, or cows 

 without registered ancestry. In the butter-test classes for 

 Jersey and Guernsey cattle, pedigree has always been insisted 

 upon, with a correspondingly good result. 



Milking Trials. 



Milking trials were first started at the London Dairy Show 

 some twenty-five years since, but prior to 1880 the prizes were 



