1 Ocr., 1897.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 297 
Feeding and Treatment of Dairy Cattle. 
By JOHN MAHON, 
Government Dairy Expert. 
WE are only too well aware of the fact that in this colony, as is the case in 
allthe Australian colonies, we have dry seasons periodically, and during a 
period of the year the natural pasturage is unreliable, and in consequence the 
cows go off their milk and become reduced to such a low state of poverty that, 
when the next season comes on, the animal, instead of producing milk, 
requires all the food given her to build up her weak constitution, and is 
unprofitable to the dairyman. 
A little knowledge in feeding and a small amount of extra labour would 
be the means of placing thousands of pounds that are now being lost in the 
pockets of the Australian dairymen every year. 
There can be but one opinion as regards the urgent necessity of adopting 
better methods of feeding, sheltering, and treatment of our dairy herds, and 
it behoves every person engaged in the business to give special attention to 
these matters. The slipshod system of allowing the animal to provide for her- 
self has passed long ago. It must be apparent to all observant persons that our 
dairymen have not yet risen to the fact that success in dairying is dependent 
on the breeding, feeding, and treatment of dairy cattle. We van no longer 
afford to waste food and labour on cows that will yield only a few pints of 
milk daily. The yield of milk per cow is of the greatest importance to dairy- 
men, and until raised to a higher standard we may expect to hear of unprofit- 
able results from those enzaged in the business. ‘The most essential point, and 
one which demands the immediate attention of all dairymen in this colony, is 
to reduce the cost of milk production, which must be done to place ourselves on 
equal footing with dairymen in other parts of the globe. 
The object of every dairyman should be to obtain a maximum flow of milk 
at the lowest cost. A “ Babcock’ milk-tester should be kept in use, and the 
animal that will not pay for her food and labour in milking should be no 
longer kept in the herd.” By judicious culling, carried out by the aid of the 
“ Babcock”? tester, the standard of our herds could be raised very considerably. 
Too much stress cannot be laid on the necessity of testing each cow. Feeding 
inferior cattle is ruinous. 
It is to be regretted that we have no authentic statistics showing the yield 
of the Queensland dairy herds. However, from personal observation, I am 
convinced that the yield per cow is very low, and that I am within the mark 
in placing the yearly average per cow at.180 gallons of milk. In Canada, 
the annual yield is 840 gallons per cow; New Zealand, 330 gallons; Victoria, — 
291 gallons; and New South Wales, 274 gallons. ; 
In Queensland last year, 6,164,240 lb. of butter were made, and this, 
taking an average of 23 gallons of milk to 1 Ib. of butter, means 15,410,600 
gallons of milk to produce the above quantity of butter. The average price 
paid for milk last year was about 23d. per gallon, which brings the total value 
of milk converted into butter up to £160,527 1s. Sd. Now taking the average 
yield of our herds at 180 gallons of milk for the season, means 85,614 cows to 
produce £160,527 1s. 8d. worth of milk, or an average of £1 17s. 6d. per head. 
In Canada, the average yield per cow is £8 10s. 10d., being the price of milk 
at 23d. per gallon, or £1 13s. 4d. more than the Queensland cows. These 
figures go to show that the same number of cows—viz., 85,614—in Canada 
produce £142,681 worth more milk in the season than an equal number in 
Queensland. 
