Show suitable age of dairy heifer for first calf the proper age of heffers heifers tor for first calving Is always a fruitful source of discussion among dairymen one group points to the necessity of proper physical development before the cow begins on its very arduous task of yielding milk through ten months or more of the year the other side holds that late calving gives tile the beef qualities in the cow time to develop and encourages a tendency toward coarseness in the dairy animal in the terms of ordinary dairying the question turns on which system in the long run makes the most money does the production of the mature cow make up for the extra freil feed put into her during the period dues docs the added year or two tivo of production in early life of the early calver balance the possible loss in vitality and in longtime long liong time ume average production an experiment that ties has been conducted at the connecticut experiment station throws an interesting light on this question ten cows were included in tile the experiment five calved at the average rate of two years and one and four tenths months the other five averaged three years and one month at calving time in the first lactation period the late calvers produced at nearly double the rate of the early calvers during the second lactation period the late calvers made a record 60 per cent greater than the early calvers in the third period tile the early calvers made about the same record as the late calvers one interesting point about the results Is that it was not until they reached the third lactation period that the early calvers made as good a record as the late calvers made in their first lactation period the late calvers aged three years and one month at tile time of freshening made pounds of milk and pounds of fat in their first period the early calvers cal aged four years nine and one halt hal months at the third freshening averaged pounds of milk and pounds of fat all the cows in this test were of the same general breeding and all received the same care the numbers involved are too small and the time covered too short to warrant any positive conclusion cl it does seem however that late calving has sound ground for being considered good commercial dairy practice |