RED POLL CATTLE

Southland Times, Issue 19396, 10 November 1924, Page 9

RED POLL CATTLE

DEMONSTRATION LECTURE. REMARKS BY VICTORIAN JUDGE. (From our Correspondent.) At the Royal Show at Palmerston North on Thursday, November 5, a demonstration lecture on Red Poll cattle was given to scouts and other lads by Lieut. Col. A. Caddy, of Chandpara, Tylden, Victoria, who the previous day had pudged this breed on which he is an expert. The lecture was followed with considerable interest by a number of Red Poll breeders, including some from Southland and districts who have only lately gone in for Red Polls. A PRACTICAL LECTURE. Colonel Caddy selected Sir Heaton Rhodes’s (Tai Tapu) Otahuna Bright Ruth, by Dominion Air Raid-Wayward 4th (AA4B) bred by exhibitor and born September 10, 1922, a two year heifer, for demonstration purposes. He commenced by pointing out that most cattle were either beef producers or milk producers, but not both, whereas the Red Poll produced both beef and milk. He first pointed out the great depth of chine, which corresponded to the withers in horses. Great depth of chine to the brisket gave plenty of room for the heart and lungs to play in, for without plenty of room for the heart and lungs to play in they could not have constitution. Looking at the hinder part of the animal they would see how the ribs were sprung out. If the ribs went straight down they could not have a good loin. Between the last rib and the hook bone was some of the best meat in the body, and what was known as the porter house steak came from there. Good loins and well sprung ribs would give good meat. With regard to the pin bones, they would see that the pin bones and the hook bones were practically level, which was as they should be. If the pin bone was lower than the hook bone that was what they called a goose rump and was a bad point. The higher the pin bone and the greater Ihe distance between the pin bone and the point of the hock so. much the bigger was the round of meat.. The round was one of the juciest pieces in the beast. The greater the length between the pin bone and the hook bone so much the more rump steak. Along the top of the back were the cheaper and inferior joints, so that it paid to cultivate the good paying items. All the milk producing portions of the cow were in the hind quarters. Great width between the hook and pin bones gave room fc-r the production of milk, width across the back gave room for the development of the udder, and ample room between the pin bones gave space for the loose skin or leather. The demonstration animal had plenty of loose skin and would have splendid udders by and by. All cattle had a tendency to get higa on the legs, the difference between the top of the hock down to the ground being higher than it should be. They encourage short “cannon” bones in cows, the shorter the better. Another good point in the animal under review was the flank. The greater the distance the stifle came forward on to the belly the better it was attended with depth of cow. They would notice it was a very quiet animal, but some would not allow them to come so close, especially so young. This one was very docile and tractive, which was a characteristic of the Red Poll except on stations. On the big stations they were as wild as hawks, because hornless cattle had to depend on flight and speed for safety against other cattle which had horns. On small farms they were very tractable. The bulls were usually quite safe, but he did not advise them to trust Red Poll bulls any more than horned bulls, for they had excellent memories, and did not forget an injury. If they put a ring in one’s nose he would not forget it, and would catch them one fine day. The animal before them had a sweetly pretty head, was wide in the inuzjle so that it could get a good mouthful of grass, and had a good coat. They would see that it had a pink muzzle. A white muzzle was not allowed as it indicated cross breeding somewhere. If they felt on the {Mill they would not find anything approaching a horn. HISTORY OF THE BREED. Red Polls came in the first place from England, where they were mostly bred in East Anglia. That part of the country was swept by the cold northeast winds blowing off the North Sea, and was especially cold in winter, and these were the only beasts which could stand the climate. In the winter time they threw great shaggy coats which protected them from the weather. Red Polls were most excellent milkers, and many of them would give 10,0001bs of milk in the season. In Victoria over 150 of them passed a test over nine months of 273 days, giving over 10,0001bs. Three of them gave over 5001bs of butter fat in those nine months. The average of butterfat in the test worked out at 4.7, which meant 4flbs of cream for every lOOlbs of milk. Jerseys gave between 5 and 6 per cent., Ayrshires and Friesians about 3s per cent, butter-fat, so that Red Polls came about half way between them. The minimum butter-fat with which milk was allowed to be sold in Victqria was 3$ per cent. CROSSING OF BREEDS. The lecturer then dealt with the crossing of breeds. The Red Poll was a very prepotent breed, for when crossed with other breeds it impressed its characteristic upon every beast it came in contact with. Whatever breeds were crossed, even mongrels with all the colours of the rainbow, all the calves would bear red on them. There would be no horns, or if there were they would be slugs or tiny little things which they could move about on the top of the skull. By getting rid of the horns they were safer in the yards and did not injure each other. If a white faced heifer was crossed with a Red bull eventually the white face would be knocked oqt. Red Polls lived to a great age. There were cows in Victoria and England which were milking and having calves with great regularity up to 2Q years of age, and even up to 25 years, and they did it every year from three years upwards. In other cows the milk went off, but Red Polls kept on giving the right amount of butter-fat. In most other breeds when they calved they gave such poor milk that it would not nourish the young calf. The speaker went on to speak of crossing Bed Poll B with the black Holsteins, and said that although the black might appear in the first generation, in the next or the following generation the calves would be red, showing that the red was the more dominant colour than the black. RED POLLS OF THE ROYAL CLASSES. Colonel Caddy then went on to other Red Polls in tfie Royal classes, pointing out the good features in the champion cow and bull, apd then passing on to other animals tQ show tfie weak points, such as hollowness behind the shoulders in the bulls, narrowness at the pin bones, too long in the body, colour —one or two were of liver colour instead of red. In conclusion Colonel Caddy said the Red poll was the quickest maturing beast of them all. It i was ready fur the butcher in from eighteen I months to two years.