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Certificate - of - record Testing. Despite a not altogether favourable season, entries for certifiqate-of-record test showed a slight increase over the previous year, while only a small falling off in average production was recorded. During the calendar year 1938 first-class certificates of record were issued for 570 cows, as compared with 554 cows in 1937, 497 cows being in the yearly test division and the remaining 73 in the 305-day division. The average production represented by first-class certificates in the yearly division was 504-70 lb. fat, a decrease of 7-98 lb. over the 1937 figure of 512-68 lb. fat. A slight decrease in average production was also shown in the 305-day test division, the average production for the seventy-three first-class certificates issued in this division being 451-13 lb. butterfat, as compared with 452-90 lb. for sixty certificates issued during 1937, a decrease of 1-77 lb. fat. Government Official Herd - testing. This branch of the Division's cow-testing service, which has been in operation for eleven years, continues to receive the steady support of certificate-of-record testing breeders. The Government official herd-testing year closes at the 30th September, and for the year ended at that date in 1938 some 2,184 cows were tested, an increase of 82 cows over the previous season's total of 2,102. The number of testing breeders represented was 203, in comparison with 207 for the year ended 30th September, 1937. Average yield figures are taken out on the basis of cows which milked for 180 days or more, and on this basis 1,986 cows qualified with an average production of 329-13 lb. butterfat from 6,693-3 lb. milk. Since the commencement of the system 20,978 statements of seasonal production have been issued for 14,410 cows, 6,568 of which have been tested more than once. Ordinary Herd - testing. The Division still carries out " association own-sample " testing for a few small associations anda number of odd herds. The cows represented number about three hundred all told. The herdtesting work for the Dominion as a whole is now under the supervision of the herd-recording department of the New Zealand Dairy Board. Staff. During the year three of the Division's senior officers reached the age-limit for the Public Service of sixty-five years, and consequently were retired. These were Mr. William Dempster, Mr. Nicholas Fulton, and Mr. J. S. Fleming. Mr. Dempster was Supervising Butter Instructor, and had served twenty-nine years with the Division, having joined the staff on the Ist December, 1909. Mr. Fulton at the time of his retirement was Dairy-produce Grader at Castlecliff. His service with the Division dated from the Ist November, 1905. Mr. J. S. Fleming, Divisional Clerk in the Division's Head Office, was appointed on the 14th October, 1901. The death, on the 17th July, 1938, of Mr. J. W. Smith, removed a fourth senior officer from our staff. Mr. Smith joined the Division on the Ist October, 1922, and prior to failing health was dairyfactory Superintendent at Massey College. Two new Dairy-produce Graders —namely, Messrs. A. D. Littlejohn and A. E. Pain—were appointed during the year, the former at New Plymouth and the latter at Wellington. The Division's staff was further increased by the appointment of thirty-five Farm Dairy Instructors, these officers being necessary on account of the extension of the farm-dairy-instruction Service to a Dominion-wide basis. Seventy-seven officers are now engaged on this work. Thanks. The past year has been a particularly busy one, and thanks are due to the staff for assistance rendered. Thanks are also extended to the various organizations whose functions bring them in contact with our work and who have so courteously co-operated with the Division.

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