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Melba XV. of Darbalara*
WORLD'S CHAMPION COW.
All Preriou Records Broken.
A phenomenal 363 days' butter
fat record, that will set the whole
dairying world ringing, has been
put up, under strict official test,
conducted by the Department of
Agriculture, by the Milking Short
horn cow, .vlclba XV., at the Scot
tish Australian Investment Com
pany's Darbalara Estate, Gundagai,
the manager of which Is Mr. J. T.
Cole.
On this occasion Melba XV. has
outdistanced the world's butter fat
record, with the extraordinary mar.
gin of 2761b. to spare.
The period covered by the test
was 365 days, finishing on June 13,
370 days after calving, on June 6,
1923. During this period Melba
XV. gave 32,522'lb. milk, equal to
16111b. butter fat, on an average
test of 5 per cent. fat. If this but
ter fat yield is estimated in terms oE
commercial butter, on the Australian
Melba XV. and Mr. Cole, the cow's
breeder, and the .cow's record would
now be iocluded in the screening.
OLD AND NEW CHAMPIONS.
In January, 1923, Melba com
pleted a 365 days' official test, pro
ducing 29,4321b milk and 13 1 6 81 21b
butter-fat, equal to 1586j41b butter.
This established a world's record at
the time for butter production for
any breed. Three weeks later it
was announced thai the Canadian
Government Friesan cow Agossiz
Sagis May Echo, at the Agassis
Experiment Farm, British Colum
bia, had yielded, under test, 30,886
lb milk and 13381b butter-fat.
Melba XV. was milked thrice daily
and the Canadian champion four
times.
On this occasion Melba XV. ex
ceeded the Canadian cow's world
record on the 275th day of her test.
In other words, she produced as
much butter fat in 275 days as the
world's previous best cow yielded in
365 days.
Melba XV entered upon the test
n first-class physical condition and
health. Except for periods when
standard of 85 per cent, fat, it
would equal l944Jlb. butter, while
on the American standard of 80
per cent, fat it would be equivalent
to '20701b. butter.
Thb minister's tribdtb.
In announcing this week Melba
XV's. wonderful record, the Minis
ter for Agriculture, Mr. F. A.
Cbaffey, said he had already tele
grapbed his congratulations to Mr,
Cole. ' As manager of the Dar
balara Estate and stud,' he added,
' Mr. Cole has added another great
achievement to his already long list
of breeding feats, and has again
emphasised to the world that in him
Australia possesses the greatest
breeder of dairy siock yet known.
It may happen to anyone to breed a I
freak cow that gave abnormally '
high production— it is only the
genius that can reproduce high pro
duction, fix the trait definitely,
i generation after generation.
''Mr. Cole has thus stamped him
self as a genius— a breeder without
compare. Australia is proud of
him, and the dairy world indebted
to him. To the recorded achieve
ments of New South Wales, where
she was sick (I) hoven during the 1
fourth sub-period (2) mammitis
during the eighth period, and (3)
under chill during the twelfth
period, her health was excellent,
and she fed and rested well. Being
of extraordinary robust constitu
tion, and having a placid tempera
ment, stood to her and enabled her
to finish up in good condition, and
without much loss in weight.
The test, said Mr. L. T. M'Innes,
State dairy expert, was carried out
under the rules of the Australian
Pure-bred Dairy Cattle' testing
Dairy Cattle scheme officially,
adopted by the Departments of
Agriculture in each State of tbe
Commonwealth, The dairy-branch-,
of t'ue New South Wales department
administers this scheme in this State,
and supervised the whole of the
testing of Melba XV. Since June
6, when tbe last official test was
made every milking has been super
vised, weighed, sampled, and tested
three times a day, right up to noon
on June 13, when the full period of
365 days was completed. These re
cords show that she more than
he was bora, reared, and done all
his work, he has added lustre. It
is good to acknowledge these things
while Mr. Cole still lives. Ferrer
and Mendel: received little recog
nition during their lifetime— their
names were given post-humous
honors. It is our privilege to give
Mr. Cole his due, and the world to
acclaim his merit while he is with
us. He deserves all the' honor that
can possibly be bestowed uponbirn.
Steps are contemplated to give re?
cognition to bis great work in a
more practical manner|in the near
future.
Mr. Cbaffey also referred with
pleasure to the fact that so strictly
bad tbe tests been checked through
out tbe year that tbe absolute ac
curacy of the results were beyond
all question.
It is Mr. Chaffey's Intention to
take steps to have. these world's re
cords made public at the British
Empire Exhibition. It would be,
be considered, one of tbe finest ad
vertisements that Australia could
possibly have. : A publicity film
bad been prepared for tbe Exhibition
of Darbalara, including the herd.
maintained to tbe end the yield offi
cially credited to her on June 6,
which has been multiplied by 35 to
make tbe record for the twelfth sub
period in accordance with the rules
of tbe Australian official testing
scheme.
Yield in 365 days, 32,522^110. Rill ; equal to 16141bs. batter tit ; tjoil to 1944ilbj. ctaastciil bitter. Help
Yield in 365 days, 32,522^110. Rill ; equal to 16141bs. batter tit ; tjoil to 1944ilbj. ctaastciil bitter.
$