DUTCH CATTLE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1252, 7 October 1911, Page 15

DUTCH CATTLE

THE PROPER TITLE OF HOLSTEIXS. As Holstein cattle as they aro Cvilled aio becoming popuhir in New Zealand, particularly in the North Island, the following note by Jsr. Primrose M'Cnimcll in "The Dairy" is of interest:—lt is a pity that the fanciers of this valuable breed of cattle cannot call them by tho above name, instead of adopting such unknown, out-of-the-way names as Rolstein and Fricsiau. As a matter of fact,, the animals we have in this country, are neither Holsteins nor'Friesians, for theso are distinct . varieties ■. of tho (treat'family- of black and white, cattle of Northern Europe," while ' the.' Dutch—which wo. havo in England—are another, variety. Rutzmeyer, tho naturalist, affirmed that the Fricsian breed was the nearest living representative of tho cream-coloured wild bull—the Bos priniigenhis—which roamed through tho ioresis of Germany when Caesar was fighting the German tribes .before the Christian era began. ■ Contrariwise, throughout tho greater part of the Netherlands it. is tho black and white "Dutch" animal that 13 met with. Apart from this tho breed has been rapidly developing as a valuable milk animal in this country, an<l tho starting of a society, some two years ago, for tho registration of typical animals, so as to commence a pedigree, lias given the breeding of thffio animals a great fillip. Tho 'recent sale of a part of tho herd belonging to Lord Raylcigh in Essex was an event in the Dutch world, when about 150 cows, heifers, and bulln wcro dispersed at good prices all over the- country—fomc going as far as the North of Scotland. The Dutch cow is. a large animal which gives a great yield of milk of medium or poor quality. Far the- growing new-milk trade tho large yield is much desired, so long as it passes the 3 per cent, standard, but one of the things the breeders of these animals will have to go in for is to improve tho quality of the milk. This has already been don<e by American breeders, and large yields of high quality aro almost the rule now in the Slates. Selection is a slow process, but it must bo done as it has been done with other breeed3, and there is a great future before this breed in this country.