BEEF FOR EXPORT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4459, 19 October 1933, Page 3

BEEF FOR EXPORT.

ABERDEEN ANGUS BREED. Fashion changes, and there is no doubt that the day of the big-boned four-year-old oxen, with great rolls of external fat, is no more, and the breeder who wishes to be successful must devote his energies to producing a beast which the practical men in the meat trade approve of, for one notable reason, namely, that the meat men know and will only give top prices for such beef as the public demand. Prime Scots is generally accepted as indicating the black-polled cattle, and the same unique qualities that have made Aberdeen Angus popular in Scotland and elsewhere commend them also to New Zealand —hornless head, uniformity of type, colour, conformation, early maturity, and quality of beef. Their prepotency renders them conspicuous among the beef breeds. No other beef sire will so thoroughly transform his offspring when mated with cows of mixed origin. Practically any breed of cow will produce a hornless, black calf, strongly resembling the sire in type and conformation.

Aberdeen Angus bulls, when used for crossing purposes, throw as high as 98 per cent, of hornless progeny. This hornless feature is of paramount importance in the avoidance of bruising. The Meat Board's report says: “If it is decided to continue with further shipments of chilled beef, one of the first matters we must seriously go into, if we are to devolop a trade, is the question of dehorning cattle.” An Aberdeen Angus bull is the most efficient and painless dehorner. A unique feature of the grazing properties of Aberdeen Angus cattle is that wherever seen they are spread about all over the paddock, not bunched together on the easier ground. An important factor on rough country where cattle have to be used as machines. A mistake is often made

here in thinking any rough bred cattle will do this work. This is just where breeding tells, as when the cattle have finished crushing, no beast responds to better treatment so quickly as the well-bred one, and none quicker than an Aberdeen Angus. Attention should be paid to quality, good stock is always an asset, especially true of a bull, whereas an inferior animal is a liability which becomes heavier the longer he is used. New Zealand leads the world in fat lambs, because attention has been paid to quality. With our climate and pature conditions, if sufficient attention is given to quality, there is no reason why our beef should hot attain a similar position.