THE DAIRY SHORTHORN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 15 November 1913, Page 10

THE DAIRY SHORTHORN.

The leading strains of Shorthorn cattle in Great Britain have been improved wonderfully of late years as regards , dairying capacity, writes ''Cheviot" in a recent issue of Farm, Field and Fireside. In fact, there has been detected a rather unfortunate tendency to secure this very desirable improvement almost entirely at the expense of the beef-producing propensities of'the breed. And even the milk yield has in a great many instances sunk into a decline of • bad quality, although, it has exhibited an appreciable improvement in quantity. Years ago the 1000-gallon standard <was an ideal then seldom achieved; but nowadays, owing to the care displayed by breeders in selecting the best strains and choosing only the heaviest milking dams and the most reputed sires from recognised deep-milking families,' this standard is, most commonly reached and passed. "It is a natural contention that if 1000-gallon cows can be so successfully bred, why should, not all the typical commercial Shorthorn cows in the average dairying herd come up to the same standard? Probably, if breeding is caryied oil on the right lines, this desir- '' iible result will soon come about. For | tfche present, however, it is true that there are in many ordinary herds Shorthorn cows which give less than faalf this yield of milk in the lactation' period. In fact, an estimate has been made that the average annual yield per head of all the dairy cows in Great Britain is between 500 and 600 'gallons, and the great majority of these are Shorthorns.

The Scotch or Cruickshank ShortSiorns are in the highest favor at the Tyesent day, and cattle carrying a Bates or Scotch pedigree are in great demand, the Booth.types having praclicallypone out of fashion. The latter strain. T>y the way, represent true graziers' cattle, just as the Bates Shorthorns are famed as a typically good milking strain. There are, be it noted, three distinct branches of the Shorthorn family—the Bates. Booth, and Scotch (or Cruik.shank) varieties. The Bates cattle were the progeni*tors of our modern dairy Shorthorn, .and it may be observed that the latter arp by np mean^ a strain or family twith a history, for they only became as a distinctive type some ithirtv or «o years ago.

As typical beef-producing animals, the Booth and Criuksliank Shorthorns Are unequalled, but both families are ■p^n. ,-v, T . orrf , r^ .>„ ■»»>liking capacities.. Cm Ireland the Boothtype met with « '»rp'>t. denl of hopularity years agio, -and it is probable that the majority

of the Irish Shorthorns which sell as stores in the English markets are of the original Booth strain, which explains why .they are such useful grazersi

Ihe Scotch Shorthorns are used cx T tensively in cross-breeding nowadays, and one of the best crosses, for grazing is that of a Booth dam and a Scotch sire. The former brings as the inheritance of the offspring a large body with long quarters, well-sprung ribs, and well-covered backs, whilst the type contributed by the Scotch blood consists of a broad, massive, and shortlegged animal. No doubt the cross between Scotch and Bates blood produces a very excellent dual-purpose animal. Of the \ Bates Shorthorns there are many famous subdivisions, as, for example, the tribes known as Duchess, Barrington, Waterloo, Red Rose, Wild Eyes, and Foggenthorpe. All these families have played a very important part in the evolution of what is now known as the Dairy Shorthorn. The non-pedigree Shorthorns, which are more numerous in the dairying herds of Great Britain than any other breed, are generally descendants of some of the old Cumberland and Lancashire Shorthorn families. They are, in the main, superior to the pedigree dairy Shorthorns for ordinary commercial purposes, and include amongst their numbers some of the finest allround dairying cattle bred in the British Isles or elsewhere. Asa general rule, heavy milking capacities in the non-pedigree Shorthorn cow are supposed to be more or less indicated by a light mealy roan color; but this is not a very reliable guide. The average British ~ dairy farmer keeps a nonrpedigree type of Shorthorn mainly because it is,such an admirable dual-purpose animal. There are. m fact points of general utility about this tyoe of cow that distinguish it from any other, and no doubt if skilled breeders were to take it in hand and found a breed with paper pedigree on it it would at once juino into enormous popularity in all dairying eounThe Dairy Shorthorn (CoaW Herd Book) Association has done a great deal of valuable work in improving the status of the pedigree Shorthorn in Great Britain. Considerable stress has been laid on the importance of selecting the best quality sires that are known to be descended from recognised heavy-milking strains of cattle, and the prices realised at the big sales by pedigree Shorthorn bulls answering this description reflect the added importance that in late years has been attached to their careful selection. Similarly, this factor has been recognised by and provided for by the Committee of the Royal Show, who have instituted a new class for "Dairy Shorthorn Bulls," bred specially on milking lines; , As regards prices, one hae only to mention that the enormous figure of £2100 was reached by Mr W. Duthie's bull calf in 1912, while the average for 24 bulls calves sold at the same sale was £377 8s 7d. Another good average figure was £83 Is per head for 181 calves and heifers sold by the late (x. Taylor (Cranford), a very well-known name in connection with the breeding of pedigree Shorthorns. At the recent Royal Dublin Society's Show at Balls-bridge;-Mr H. J. Toler Aylward's Shorthorn bull, Ashgrove Carnival, sold for the large sum of one thousand guineas. .'.-..