[Reports and Appendices] of the Irish Milk Commission, 1911.

  • Great Britain. [Royal] Commission on the Irish Milk Supply.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: [Reports and Appendices] of the Irish Milk Commission, 1911. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    839/1108 (page 29)
    case of pure-bred cattle, the work being done through cow-testing associations. Groups of farmers are invited to join an association for the purpose of keeping milk records, the Department giving technical advice, supplying record books, inspection and a small grant towards the expense of testing the quality of the milk. At the close of each season such bows as have come up to a standard of at least 600 gallons and 3-5 per cent, butter fat are inspected and those of good conformation and likely to breed high class dairy cattle when mated with a pure-bred or registered bull are selected for the register. The bull calves from these cows when a year old are also inspected, and those up to a good standard are eligible for a premium of £10. Formerly bulls so bred were not eligible for a premium. Heifer calves from selected cows are also inspected with a view to registration after they have produced a calf and yielded in one season a sufficient quantity of milk of good quality. Milk Records. (54) One of the most essential methods of improving the milking qualities of cows is to keep milk records. It has been ±he experience of those who have kept milk records that their judgment as to the relative value of their cows as milkers has been falsified when the yield of each cow, recorded week by week, has been totalled up at the end of the year. The advantage of keeping records is that it enables the cowkeeper to weed out the poor milkers and thereby to raise the average milk yield of his cows. It is stated that the estimated average yearly yield per cow is only 400 gallons. For County Roscommon, the average yield per cow was put at 300 gallons. In the dairying Counties of Cork and Limerick it was put at 450 and 440 gallons, respectively. It follows therefore that there must be very many cows in our dairy herds which are not worth their keep and which are merely pensioners on the farm. By keeping each cow's record the farmer ascertains those which are worth retaining. As to what has been done, we refer to the evidence of Sir Richard Barter, of St. Anne's, Co. Cork, who has kept milk records for thirty years and has by their means raised the average milk yield per cow in his herd from 540 to 700 gallons. In Lord Rosse's herd at Birr milk records are kept and the average yield per cow is over 600 gallons. Lady Coghill, of County Cork, stated that when she first commenced to keep a record the cows were giving about 400 gallons; now the quantity is 600 gallons, and still further improvement is expected. This result was consequent on the information obtained by the keeping of the records, which enabled the owner to weed out the inferior animals and was not due to any change in the breed. Recommendation. Poole-Wilson, 2597, 2599. Wibberley, 18542. Barter, 14998-4. Carroll, 12357. (ioi'doii, 5479. Percy. 24(i80. Carroll, 12346-7. Cusack, 17137. (libson, 171(i3. \Y. R. Bell, 11486. 1-iarter, 14980-7. 14991-3. i^oediokcr, 5103-9. Ladv Coi^hill, 14224-9, 14234-8. An instance of the absolute necessity of keeping records was mentioned in Limerick. In the one herd it was ascertained by means of the record that the produce of one cow realised £19 Is. 5d. at the creamery, whereas that of another cow ealised only £7 7^. 4:d. As a further indication of the value of keeping records of he quality as well as of the quantity of milk, it was mentioned that two cows gave 6,340 lbs. and 6,380 lbs. of milk, respectively; but the one which gave the smaller quantity produced value for £12 8s. Qd. against value for £10 17^. 6d. for the other, by reason of the greater percentage of butter-fat contained in the milk. Why then, it may be asked, does not the farmer keep milk records ? It is because he believes his ordinary observation is sufficiently reliable to enable him to form a correct judgment as to which cows are the best milkers, and so long as the total output of the herd pays he is satisfied that his opinion is accurate. When it is suggested to him that he should keep a record he expects compensation for his trouble. It may be here stated that trouble rather than expense is involved in the keeping of records, and, as a matter of fact, it would pay the farmer to keep them for his own information for the reasons we have already stated. Cow-testing Associations. (55) The best method of extending the system of keeping milk records is bv means of cow-testing associations. Several such associations are already in exist- ence, and we anticipate a rapid development of the system throughout the country when farmers become familiar with the advantages to be derived from an accurate Wibberley, 18418, Dorian. ]2()69-71. rroll,, 12359.