THE RED POLL.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 3, 15 March 1913, Page 279

THE RED POLL.

A BREED WITH POTENTIALITIES.

The Red Poll, or Norfolk or Suffolk Poll as they were formerly termed, are one of the most interesting races of British cattle. Opinion is divided as to their origin and antiquity. By some the breed is regarded as indigenous to. the district it now occupies in England, where the Suffolk Polls, or Duns, have existed, from time immemorial. One writer has traced the breed from the time of the Norman invasion, while others believe that it sprang from Galloway Poll cattle introduced in the eighteenth century, probably soon after the Union of England and Scotland, when numbers of cattle were driven every year from Galloway and elsewhere from the south of Scotland into Norfolk and other parts of England. Again, a Norfolk authoritywhile admitting the probability of the Galloway Polls in the main being their progenitorsclaims part of the credit of the breed’s origin for an old native race which existed previously in East Anglia. This much, however, is certain: that the Red Polls are improved editions of a breed known to early writers for their deepmilking qualities, while being credited at the same time with a capacity to furnish, under good feeding, excellent-quality beef. Red Poll, cattle have ,in the past been more remarkable, for their milking than for their beef qualities, and at the present time there are individual Red Poll cows of such a distinct dairy type that the possibility of making these cattle highly profitable milking-stock by breeding according to a pedigree of performance is most encouraging. It is impossible to supply definite information as to their milking-capacity, owing to very few herds having been systematically, tested. But many cows are credited with giving annual yields of 10,000 lb. of milk, testing in the neighbourhood of 4 per cent, of butter-fat.

At the last London Dairy Show the winning Red Poll cow gave, under the adverse show-yard conditions, 136 lb. of milk in two days, the fat-percentage ranging from 2-72 to 3-34. The second-prize winner gave 96 lb. in the forty-eight hours, the test ranging from 4-40 to . 3-87 per cent.

The thirty-five cows in the Tring Park herd of Lord Rothschild gave in one year a milk-yield of 249,0781 b., an average of 7,1161 b. The fat-percentage is not furnished.

At the Royal Show of England the winning Red Poll gave a yield for the twenty-four hours of. 51 lb. 8 oz. of milk, testing 4-47 per cent, of fat; : .

11 The details of the milk-yield class at the Royal Show,” says a Home writer, “ again, evidenced the capabilities of the Red Polls for milk-production in competition side by side with all other breeds. In this competition points were awarded as follows: 1 point for every pound of milk; 1 point for every ten days since calving,

deducting the first forty daysmaximum lactation points 12 ; 4 points for every 1 per cent, of fat shown on an average of the morning and evening milkings. Eight cows were entered in the Red Poll class, and in the result Lord Rothschild’s Clarissa gained first prize with a total of points of 73-03, a record only beaten in the breed class totals by the Shorthorn first-prize winner with a total of 73-70 points. Clarissa had been 139 days in milk, and in the twenty-four hours gave 49J lb., showing a fat-percentage of 3-47 points.- The second-prize winner—Lord Rothschild’s Rustictwentyseven days in milk, gave a total of 51J lb., and 3-10 fat-percentage, her total of points being 63-65, Third prize went to Lord Radnor’s Ashlyns Rose 2nd, eighty-nine days in milk, giving a total milkyield of 43|1b., with 3-52 butter-fat —• total of points, 62-73. It may be of interest to state, for comparison, the total of points of the first-prize winners of each breed represented: Shorthorn, 73-70; Red Poll, 73-03; Lincoln Red, 73-03; Jersey, 72-85; South Devon, 68-43 ; Ayrshire, 65-23; Guernsey, 64-92 ; Kerry, 62-88; Dexter, 58-18 ; Longhorn, no prize.”

The record of the Red Polls at the fat-stock shows of England clearly • proves the fleshing-qualities of the breed. The most successful steer in 1910 had gained in weight from the 1909 show season 340 lb. percentage of 26-2, his actual weight at thirty-five months old being 1,683 lb. At the Suffolk fat-stock show of 1911 the open championship was won by a Red Poll heifer, another Red Poll being reserve. The first-prize Red Poll steer at Islington in the same year weighed 16 cwt. 3 qr. at two and three-quarter years of age.

The essential colour of the breed is a deep red, with an udder of the same colour; white at the end of the tail being allowed. The nose must not be dark or cloudy; the head and throat must be neat, the eye full; a tuft of hair should hang over the forehead ; and the frontal bones should begin to contract a little above the eyes, and should terminate in a comparatively narrow prominence at the summit of the head. A characteristic Red Poll, is a distinctly attractive beast, a strong businesslike type of animal which responds well to good treatment, but will give a decent account of itself under ordinary farm conditions.

* Short lactation-period due to accident.

( Cow.Weeks in Milk. ■ I Milk, in Gallons. Butter-fat. Value. 1 Value. Season 1910-11. lb. £ s. d. Vuelta .. .. 381 556-5 405-1 17 10 10 Connecticut .. ■ 401 818-2 269-0 11 17 4 Bullion .. 401. 773-3 356-7 15 17 10 Beulah. ■ 39| 646-5 342-6 15 3 6 Cuba .. ;. ■ .. 401 • : 526-9 ; 231-8 10 5 11 Cigarette .. .. ... 34 504-4 211-6 8 18 9 Sumatra .. .. >. 41* 43-6 19-6 0 19 2 Kentucky .. .. .. 361 531-1 225-9. 9 12 7 Muria .. .. 401 . 548-9 240-7 9 14 9 Pennsylvania .. .. 381 461-9 189-7 8 4 3 Carolina .. .. .. 401 570-5. 253-1 11 3 4 Virginia 401 636-2 .254-7 11 5 1 Havana .. . .. [401 575-5 229-9 10 5 0 Season 191112. Vuelta .. .. 411 775-2 485-1 26 5 9 Connecticut .. .. 401 678-2 364-0 19 11 10 Bullion .. .. 431 694-8 344-0 18 10 7 Beulah (Not co mpleted.) Cuba 431 701-4 337-8 18 10 4 Cigarette ■.. 41J 648-1 285-9 15 14 6 Sumatra 42 666-2 284-2 15 6 2 Kentucky .. .. .. 391 669-5 ’ 277-7 15 1 1 Muria ... .. ■ 41 580-2 275-7 14 14 10 Pennsylvania . .. ... 451 634-8 ' 271-9 14 13 10 Carolina ... 321 580-6 254-3 13 11 4 Virginia .. .. ' .. 391 551-2 221-7 12 0 7 Havana .. .. .. 371 535-6 215-3 11 15 4

A herd on a Government Victorian farm gave the following yields last season :-