FAMOUS JERSEYS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 July 1925, Page 8

FAMOUS JERSEYS.

AN INTERESTING REVIEW. INFLUENCE IN NEW ZEALAND. Matters of considerable interest to those engaged in tire cult of the Jeisey cattle breed were treated u\ a paper entitled ‘T anions Jerseys anc their effect on the breed in New Zealand/ - read at the Stratford Jersey Cattle Club’s annual social by Mr. E. Griffiths, Jersey adviser to Messrs. Newton King,. Ltd., who also in reply t,» a wide range of questions asked by breeders at the gathering gave appreciated opinions on further phases of the subject. The paper was as follows: The subject is such a vast one that to cover the whole ground a number of papers should be written. 1 will, however, refer to some of the annuals which have done much to help build the breed in New Zealand. In laying the foundation of the breed in 'New Zealand, no animal can compare with Cicero LI. No 14 He was bred on the Island of Jersey, shipped to England were as a yearling he was a prize-winner at the Royai Show helU at Hull. There lie was purchased by Mr T. S. Morriii and Air J. Mc.Cosh Clark and imported to New Zealand in 1883. As these were both wealthy Auckland business men and each had his own Jersey herd, it must be assumed that the cost price was a long one. He was a son of Cicero, who won first prize over Jersey island in 1882. Cicero was purchased and imported to America in that year I,v Air. T. S. Cooper for 3100- dollars. All. Cooper has written for him: •••Cicero - was the first prize. <w inn e-l----over the island, and if he had produced no other son than Count Cicero F39S H.C. his name would hang in the Jersey •half, of fame.’ Count Cicero, besides being double ancestor of Golden Lad (who had 37-1 per cent, his blood), sired the dam of Oxford Lass and produced the sire Sultana’s Rosette, the dam of Flying Fox and Forfarshire, whose daughter was the dam ol Financial King. So that through these lew Vines of descent from Count Cicero alone, the. name of Cicero becomes wellnigh omnipresent in modern Jerseypedigrees. Rut Cicero did net quit liis good works with Count Cicero. He got a string of daughters which made creditable' butter records, passing on their inherited power to numerous offspring of prominence, and several sons til at have tested daughters.”

A glance at the pedigrees of these ‘three ..Jerseys. JGoklten- Lad, Oxford Lass and Flying Fox, will show how much they owe their greatness to the blood of Cicero, and when it is realised that the three animals mentioned have played a greater part in improving the breed than any other three the- value'of Cicero blood may be better appreciated. Messrs. Morrin and Clark at this tim e had probably New Zealand's leading herds, and with the use of Cicero bred a number of very line animals, which have largely ha'lped to lay the foundation of the breed to-day. The ruling price at that time was from £ls to £25 for really good animals. Occasionally £3O was paid, but one : of Cicero’s daughters, Favourite VII., was sold for 100 guineas in 1890 to Mr. Vowels, of Melbourne. The Ciceros were evidently appreciated because they were sold in the late ’eighties and early ’nineties to Messrs. Cornelius Day, F. L. Wright, James Stucky, A. Dermer, E. D. McLennan and J. A. McCray and other leading breeders. Cicero’s most noted sons were Cicero 111., Cato, Grasshopper, Chopsticks and Marquis 111., but lie had a number- ;of double (gjrancjsions which Helped to make history, including Baronet, Cicero IV., Cicero V., Cicero'Vl.,

and Garibaldi, the latter being full ol Cicero blood, tracing to him five times, and he proved a most prepotent ana successful bull. Others that left thenmark were Fisherman, Leopold, Lord Ravensthoipe, Ra-ngitumau, and, coming nearer home, may be mentioned Jersey Boy, with 314 per cent, of his blood, and sire of Grannie’s Girl. Freedom 2nd, sire of Airs. Ward’s cow waif, Pride of Egmont, Sister King, Red Ribbon. All being at least grandsons; in fact, out of. 126 bulls en_ tered in the first volume of the Jersey Herd Book, ;42 are heavily charged with his blood. his daughters and grand-daughters -which appear in many jiedigrees to-day may be mentioned -Jessica, a valauble cow which was owned by Air.-Fred.Cornwall .and contained nearly 50 per cent. Cicero blood; Lancaster’s Sybil and her two daughters, several of the Darkies,, notably the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th, th e latter tracing .14 times to him, several of the . Primroses, and among Mr. AlcLennan’s cows were Digitalis, Foxglove, Moth, and Titalia, an j in Mr. Day’s herd may be mentioned Beauty 111., Busy Body, Alay Queen, Busy Bee and Beeswing. There are, of course, many others, but these are cows whose names up-1 pear prominently in to-day’s pedigrees, and there can be no doubt that of all animals in New Zealand Cicero 11. has. played n greater part than any other.

Ten years later Dry Monopole and his practically full brother Monopoly were imported from England by Mr. Gould, of Christchurch. They also did great \york, and as a family are plobably quoted to-day nqor e Ithan any other in New Zealand. The Sweetbriars, Sunflowers, Princesses, Hilberrys.and Silver Queens were all bred by these bulls and have banded down their good qualities from generation to generation since! Our records unfortunately do not lieli) us very much in regard to the ancestry of these bulls. If they could b e traced they would, no doubt, lead to the best Island blood. Later Mr. Day imported New Zealand's Exile. Me was not noted for his typey character as lor his butterfat inheritance. He was used by Mr. Day very largely on Cicero cows. Perhaps a more successful bull which has done more for the breed in New Zealand was Magnet’s Hoy. Me was bred by Mr. .). .McCulloch in Victoria and imported by Mr. L'uard Wright at the end of 185)3, Mr. McCulloch was a noted .breeder in Victoria. He owned a cow called Magnet, which he had imported from Jersey. She won first and champion at the Melbourne show in 1889, 1891 aiid 1892. Magnet’s Hoy was hv her grandson from her host daughter, and in Now Zealand bred some remarkably line animals, some better known daughters being Magnet's Gleam, Haney's Magnet, Hustle, Digitalis, and Magnet’s Waif. Sailor Hoy and Waikato’s Fancy were all imported 'in the nineties, but their influence does not appear to have been so far reaching as the others previously mentioned. Golden Brown was horn on the Island in 189-1. I remember him well. He was a very aristocratic bull. He was by Golden Lad, son. Golden Pink, and his darn’s sire was a son of Cicero’s Cowslip. With such breeding it is no wonder that he did good work and that the good continues on through generations.