BEEF SHORTHORNS

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1780, 8 July 1926, Page 7

BEEF SHORTHORNS

EARLY MATURING TYPE. The display of beef Shorthorns at the Sydney Royal Show was more than ordinarily good, and many eulogies and favourable criticisms have been published since the show, and most have served 'to show the continued trend in Australia and New Zealand towards the light-weight "baby beef* type, which is now an established fact in fat stock marketing in Great Britain and, to a lesser degree in America. The following clipping from the annual publication of the N.S.W. Royal Agricultural Society gives a review of the Shorthorn classes.

The 'Shorthorns were marked by uniformity, style and character. Moreover, they were excellently turned out, and as a whole made a wonderfully fine and improved showing. The gradual change-over of recent years to the early-maturing type found more pronounced expression. As at the previous show, it was a day of triumph for the deeply-fleshed, blocky type mainly of 'Scotch descent. These are the cattle that suit the butcher and the exporter of frozen beef and can be turned out to perfection in the inner districts of delep pastures. Still those, however, who question their adaptability to the exigencies of the out-back country, with its long distances to be travelled on foot to railhead or works. There is little country in New South Wales, however, in regard to which the suitability of the unfashionable type can be soundly questioned.

The judge had this type in his eye right through—in fact, there was little else that could come into the picture. The only exception among the winners was Mr E. Lloyd Jones's Hambledon Grand 'Duke of Derrimut ancestry. This great sire and the reserve champion of the previous year was, to the surprise of not a few, selected for' the. champion tri-colour, a showy bull every inch a sire, he nevertheless gave place to Mr Anthony Hordern's Milton Khedive (winner in the under 18 months class) and Mr A. E. Slade's aged imported Irish bull, Star of Ulster, in wealth of fleshing. The reserve, Khedive, a son of Masterkey. attracted all eyes as a youngster of outstanding quality and promise, the makings of a veritable champion. Later he topped the sales to a Victorian bid. It was a tribute to breeding and a hopeful sign for the future that the young bulls excelled the older classes. The reason was that Masterkey's scions dominated all the classes under two years. Mr IHordern likewise won in every female class except one, the majority of the prize-winners being Masterkey progeny. He had,, too, the unique distinction of gaining champion and reserve for females with mother and daughter of his own breeding. The beautiful white, cow, Milton Martha, took the championship for the third successive year. Following this up by Avinning three out of four of the group classes. Mr Hordern gave abundant evidence of the remarkable consistency of his breeding, which in reality reflects most to the credit of the prepotency of Masterkey as a super-sire. And yet. the public has never had the opportunity of seeing in the show ring that bull v/hich has left his impress on 'the .Shorthorn stock of Australia tor all time.