MILKING SHORTHORNS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8363, 25 February 1913, Page 2

MILKING SHORTHORNS

ixIEEDERS’ SOCIETY SUGGESTED. The capacity of the Shorthoro cow oi wo milking type is so well known that ii may well be asked, why is there no uroeders’ society and herd book o cso tittle? With the foregoing observation i,id query Mr Clifton, director of the acids division, introduces n'S u .n the “Journal” for the formation of a breeders’ society f ? r . tb ®, encou mont of breeding and for - tion of approved types of Shorthorn cattle of known milking merit and breeding. Mr Clifton continues. The' far-reaching effect of the Shorthorn Breeders’ Society of Grcat Britam is well known, and its herd-hook m the pioneer of stock registers. m ay i bo claimed that the New Zealand Society of Breeders of Shorthorns is sufficient; ,but this society and its herd-book are concerned chiefly in the registration of stock-of pure descent; it must aiso be accepted that this is more in the,incerests of the grazier than of the dairy-farmer. , . ~ It must appeal to the lover of the Shorthorn —it remains in the memory of many of ns that in the earlier days of the colony the Shorthorn cow, big enough for a bullock team, was a deep milker; and she may still bo found on station and on farm. Can there not then, be formed a society for the encouragement of the breeding and for the registration of such cattle ? In Great Britain itself, in Australia, and in America, the milking Shorthorn breeders* . associations with their herd-books are in being. Our country is not usually a laggard in societies, ■ associations and unions. Does not this offer a . useful field for another , society i There is good warrant for the recognition of the value of the Shorthorn on the dairy farm. In Now Zealand .are many herds of cows of great milkproducing capacity that are to all intents and purposes true Shorthorns. They may be described as unregistered. It is the owners of these cattle who should associate their interests and register their stock. This would increase the value of such herds; the stock would be known. It would also obviate tho difficulty, well known to breeders of this type of cattle, when • bull is wanted of knowing where to find % well-known dairy-farmer whose herd ia Shorthorn was quite recently asked, <r Where can a bull of a milking family of-this breed be purchasedP” The reply was, “I do not know; you must do as I have to do: When I replace a'bull I take my chance.** Surely this should ho altered. A society of breeders of this typo of Shorthorns should be formed. The admission of stock to the. register would depend on the production of a defined quantity of milk, and tho conformance of the individual to the Shorthorn type; At present the herdbook of this breed is a valuable guide to the gnufler; there the descent of stock famous in the show-yard can be traced, and the selection of sires and cows for the production of stock for the fatten-ing-paddook .can well bo made; but there in no guide to the oow or the huh for the dairy farm. It ia the utility oow that is in . demand, and there are farmers who believe this to be in the stock of the Shorthorn type. It is suggested that the dairy-farm-ers who may approve of the proposal to form a milking Shorthorn breeders’ society should move in the direction of formins a society on the linos of the Ayrshire, or Holstein, or Jersey societies. The next large gathering of farmers will be at the winter shows of Dunedin and Manawatu. Possibly soma due interested will there propose and arrange to form a society of breeders of nilking Shorthorns. In making this proposal it is not intended to recommend or disparage any breed of dairy stock, still less is it intended to enter upon tho topic, of dual or special-purpose cows;; it ia that there are many who prefer to .breed the Shorthorn, and registration, under the auspices of a society, would materially assist such dairy-farmers.