AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 11

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS

THE YEAR'S PRODUCTION Statistics .for the season 1936-37 are now available, and figures for the principal items are given in the August Abstract of Statistics, last year's figures also being shown for purposes of comparison. Attention is directed to the fact that the crop figures relate only to holdings of one acre or over located outside borough boundaries. The live-stock figure!, on the other hand, include allowances made for live stock in boroughs and on holdings of less than one acre in extent. The appended figures are of

THE POLLED HEREFORD

TO THE BDITOB 07 THI TRESS. Sir,—l have before me a copy of "The Press" dated September 8. In the farming columns under the heading "The Polled Hereford. Accidental Origin." is given a very misleading and, as far as Double Standard Polled are concerned, a totally erroneous description of their origin. In I this article it is stated that the Polled Hereford was the result of the mating of a Hereford cow with a Red Poll bull, and that the resulting progeny were mated with a bull which had Polled Shorthorn blood in it. To begin with I should like to point out that in America thrre are both Single Standard and Double Standard Polled Herefords. The above-men-tioned article gives a short account of the origin of Single Standard Polled Herefords. They are a separate and distinct strain. They are registered only in the Single Standard Polled Hereford Record. This Record (Herd Book) is separate from the Double Standard Polled Hereford Record, nnd has no connnexion with it, although it is owned and controlled by the same breeders' association. Practically all Single Standard Polled Herefords are simply high grade, naturally polled Hereiord cattle which owe their polled head to a cross ot "Red Pott, Polled Shorthorn, or other polled blood back a few generations. None of the increase from Single Standard Polled Herefords can ever become "Double Standard." nor can they ever be recorded in either the Double Standard Polled Hereford Record or the American Hereford Record (the Horned Hereford Herd Book). All the Polled Herefords which have been imported to New Zealand from America are Double Standard, which means that thev are nothing more or less than purebred Herefords minus the horns, and as such are 'eligible for entry in the New Zealand Hereford Cattle Breeders' Association Herd Book - , „ „ j The origin of Double Standard Polled Herefords is as follows:—In 1900, Warren Gammon, an lowa farmer, conceived the idea of a naturally hornless strain of purebaed Herefords. He thought that if the horns could be removed from the white faces without impairing the purity of their breeding and without sacrificing any of their superior beef qualities, such an accomplishment would be a very desirable improvement. He sent a circular inquiry to every member of the American Cattle Breeders' Association, asking if such a naturally hornless purebred Hereford had ever been dropoed in any herd to their knowledge. From the several hundred replies received to his inquiry he located 14 such hornless "freaks," all of which were purebred and registered in the American Hereford Re-

cord and were dropped in the herds of reputable breeders. Four of them were bulls and 10 were females. He bought the four bulls and seven of the females, and with them established his foundation herd of purebred pr "Double Standard" Polled Herefords. Using the polled bulls on registered Hereford cows resulted in about half the calves being polled, which made it possible to increase the number of polled animals much more rapidly than would have been possible had it been necessary to use polled animals on both sides to secure polled increase. When polled bulls are mated with polled females nearly all the calves are polled, though occasionally one reverted to the horned type. From this single foundation herd in 1901 the breed has grown until now more than 100.000 polled cattle have been registered in both the American Hereford Record and the American Polled Hereford Record. The term "Double Standard" refers to this double «ntry in the Horned and Polled American Herd Books, and as such is a guarantee of the purity of the breed.— Yours, etc., p £ HUMpHREYSNgapata, Gisborne, September 13.

Wheat— For threshing, bushel 8,859,223 7.163,9S3 For chaff, hay. or ensilage, ton .. 3,862 2,786 Oats— For threshing, bushel 3,302,642 3.525,430 For chaff, hay, or ensilage, ton .. 390,168 326,762 Barley— For threshing, bushel 745,380 746,948 For chaff, hay, or 1,710 ensilage, ton .. 1,895 Maize — For threshing, bushel 321,222 301.963 For ensilage, ton 4,149 2,115 Peas for threshing, bushel 562,733 480,987 Linseed for threshing, cwt. 11,535 4,567 Potatoes, ton 121,004 126.314 Onions, ton 7,039 5,930 Rye-grass, harvested for seed— Perennial, lb 19,473,245 6,387.914 Italian and Western Wolths, lb 6,160,949 1,860,372 Cocksfoot harvested for seed, lb 2,374,909 1,843,701 Grasses and clovers cut for hay, ton 851,263 805,835 Grasses and clovers cut for ensilage, ton 334,759 311,542 Lucerne cut for hay or ensilage, ton 118.479 109,643 Tobacco, lb 1,065,693 1,514,124