DUAL-PURPOSE CATTLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 11

DUAL-PURPOSE CATTLE.

Tho dual-purpose breeds of cattle are supposed to be good both for milk and for beef. Of course, the scawniest Jersey will produce some beef, and the fattest Hereford cow will give somo milk. But between, theso two extremes are a number of eattlo which claim to be fairly good both for beef and for milk. Of these, the most famous is probably tho milking Shorthorn (saya Wallace's Farmer). About 200 years ago a Mr Dobinson, who lived in tho county of Durham, England; from whence tho Shorthorns first came, brought over from Holland several bulla which were very likely of the sort that axe now called Hoisteins.

Probably these bulls improved the dairy; qualities of the original Shorthorn cattle. At any rate, when one of the original Shorthorn improvers. Mr Thomas Bates, began to work with them, he found a number of cows which were very excellent milkers, as well as good beef animals. Ha liked the combination idea, and kept records both of the amount of beef and thq amount of milk produced with a given amount of feed. To this day Bates’s Shorthorns axe noted for their milking qualities, After Bates’s time the most popular of the breeders swung away from the milking idea for a great many years, but _ the common farmers, both in England and in the United States, depended very largely on the Shorthorn or Durham as a milk cow. Over hall the milk in England is produced by Shorty horns. During_the past 10 or 15 years there' has been a great revival of interest among certain purebred breeders of the milking type, and to-day we have Shorthorns which have made record in milk and butter-fab that compare favourably with any breed. Some of the best have made records of around 20,0001 b of milk and ICOOIb of butter in a year. The best type of milking Shorthorns is very similar in general appearance to the Holstein, except for the colour. They may be just a little liner-boned and a littlef smoother, with a slightly greater tendency to flesh up easily. But, really, tno difference is more in ediour than in anything else. The milk of the Shornhorn cow will aver, age nearly a-half of 1 per cent, richer in • butter-fat than the milk of the Holstein. ■ The calves of the dual-purpose Shorthorn seem to rank just as well with the ordinary , feeder as the calves of the more beefy type. At any rate, the ordinary farmer seems to fare just about as well which ever typo he has. The Red Polls stand out more distinctly as a dual-purpose breed than any other. They were bred originally in eastern England, about 200 miles south of where tho Shorthorns originated. One hundred years ago, in this section of England, there were two types of cattle, one of which had no horns and was of excellent dairy type. There was also a horned type, ot ratner small frame, bright-red colour, with a white or mottled face, much like the Hereford. Gradually, the farmers of this section of England began to mix the two breeds, selecting all the time for solid red animals with no horns, which were good both for producing milk and beef. By 1862 it was realised that a new breed had been formed, and ever since then the new breed has given a good account of itself. Beginning with about 1875, tho Red Polls have been brought over to this country in rather large numbers, although they are not nearly so popular as the dairy and beef breeds. The ideal Rod Poll cow looks very much like a good Shorthorn, being broad over the back, short-legged, deep in the chest, and with thick thighs, while at tho same tune the udder is ot good size, and the cow possesses the ability to yield slightly more than the ordinary Jersey or Guernsey daily, her milk testing about 3.8 to 4 per cent. Red Polled steers have often been shown at the International, and have captured a few prizes, although, they are ordinarily decidedly inferior to the true beef steers. The cows have been entered in competition with the cows of the strictly dairy breeds, and while they have made very good records, they have not surpassed the record of the Holstein, Jersey, or Guernsey. Everything considered, the Red Poll occupies a position very similar to that of the milking dhor thorn. , , . . 7 A third dual-purpose breed was developed about 150 miles west and a little south o£ where the Bed Polls came from. They aro much like tho Red Polls, except that tney have horns, are a little smaller, gave a rather richer milk, and are finer-boned, with a rather deer-like appearance. The Devon at one time was very popular in tho eastern States. To-day, however, wa almost never hear of it as a beef breed or a dairy breed. _ . The Holstein, Ayrshire, and Brown Swiss have some claim to rank as dual-purpose breeds. , At any rate, the cows of these breeds, and especially the Ayrshires, fatten off very readily when dry, and the steers calves fatten off fairly well. The calves of the Brown Swiss are of good size, and bring more money as veals at an earlier .age than almost any other breeds. TS3IE FO.B APPLYING LOIE. Just as tho methods of applying lime are chosen so as to ensure the most perfect distribution (says J. A. H., in tne Farmer’s Gazette),, so the time of application should lie chosen with the same object in view. Too little consideration is given, as a rule, to the thorough incorporation of the lime with the soil, with tho result that the efleets are longer in appearing and loss marked in the end. Farmers might well take a leaf out of the gardener’s book.: A good gardener distributes lime as a fine powder over previously-worked soil, and then proceeds to fork it in carefully and thoroughly to a depth of about 4in. For. such thorough mixing dry lime and dry soil are essential j if one or both is sticky a uniform distribution cannot be obtained- A dry spell in autumn or spring (for root crops) is. therefore, best. As regards the particular crop in tho rotation, for which lime should be applied, one can safely say,, in tho case of a “sour” soil, for any' crop but for ordinary soils another consideration' may bo taken into account —viz., tho effect of lime in releasing 1 stored-up plant food, particularly that in vegetable matter. This consideration suggests the addifion of lime to green material (in tho case of the four-course rotation thd clover crop) which is being ploughed in. The two alternatives, lime for the fallows, or lime for the wheen on ‘‘seeds,” were those followed by farmers in earlier times when liming was one of tho chief operations in the rotation. In the former case.

for the fallows, or their present equivalent, the fallow (root) crops, the lime should be applied after the land has been ploughed , and not to the stubbles. A dry time should ! be chosen in late winter or early spring, J when the soil is in suoh a suitably dry con- j dition that the lime can at once be thor- I oughly incorporated with the surface soil by "i harrowing. In the latter case, for the ! .wheat, the lime should bo applied before j Or after shallow ploughing, the, surface soil j Sontaining vegetable matter and lime, • horoughly worked, then turned in to the j lull depth, .nd wheat drilled. This second alternative ia he one which should be I adopted at the present time for the plough-fag-out of grass land —excellent crops have been obtained on grass land treated in this way. Where thin ploughing and pressing ia the method adopted for sowing wheat, the | lime, should be applied before ploughing. .1 Lime applied at either of these periods in the rotation is effective for such purposes as clhecking "finger-andi-tfoe" fin turnips and promoting a good'"take" of "seeds." It is impossible to recommend fixed dressings, for either particular crops or particular types of soils when the soils are "sour," as the dressing, to be satisfactory, should depend on the degree of "sourness." This may be estimated fairly accurately by experience, from the general appearance of •oil and crops, and more accurately by chemical methods. ,Por soils which are not "sour" or only slightly "sour," lOcwt of ground lime, one ton of ground carbonate of lime per acre, or a corresponding dressing of a "waste lime," if well distributed about every six years, is a suitable dressfag for preventing "sourness." and keeping the soil in good condition. Such a dressing is essential on soils with little reserve of lime, receiving frequent applications of sulphate of ammonia, superphosphate, or dissolved boneSj manures which intensify "sour" conditions in a soil. ACCOMMODATION FOR SHEARERS. WELLINGTON, May 6. A deputation, representing the AgrlouL tural and Pastoral Workers' Union, waited wpon Mr Harries to-day, urging provision for bettor accommodation for ahearere. ■ Hesnbera of the deputation declared that •am© quarters provided were veiy bad. and j fa the interests pi humanity something

should be done. The need for more adequate legislation to govern the providing of accommodation for shearers was stressed, ! and a request was made that the Govern--1 ment should take over a Bill once infcro- ; ducedi by Mr Veitoh, M.P. } Mr Henries said that from tho point of ' view of the men, the Act did pot go far ! enough. The Act only that the ■ owner should provide a certain amount of j air space. He was not the Minister of • Labour, but would put the matter before j Mr Massey, and would urge Mr Massey ; to make amendments in the existing law.