Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-08
NIX AND RECORD AND FARMER, FRIDAY SEPTEMBER


Az there seems likely to be "boom" in
polled or hornless cattle, our readers may be
Interested to know something of their origin.
Mr.. j. G. Lyell of Dundee, Scotland, in a
contribution to the second volume of Warder's
work on Angus of Forfarshire, remarks of the
cattle in that region as follows
The now celebrated Poiled or Hornless cat
tie of Forfarshire long Familiarity known as
Angus Doddies, were probably originally in
troduced into Scotland from Norway. They
were formerly known in the neighborhood of
Dundee as Humble Cattle, a name synonymous
with that used in Aberdeenshire where asome-
what similar breed were called Buchan Hum
lies. The Sueo-G Gothic or Ancient Swedish
word Hama, to mutilate, is evidently the root
of these terms, which when applied to cattle,
may literally mean mutilated in appearance
by want of horns. According to Mr.. Bernt
Patterson, Norwegian Consul at Dundee. Poll
ed cattle are very common in the southern
parts of Norway; while in Tromso within
the Arctic Circle, they also exist in consider
able numbers, as 1 have been informed by
Mr.. John Neish, younger of the Laws, who
was there in 1879. Iceland has also a breed
of Polled cattle, noticed by Dr. Uno Won Troll
in 1772. He says: "They are all well pro.
vided with cattle which are generally without
horns;" and, again, their beeves are not
large, but very fat and good. II has been re-
ported by some, though without foundation
that there are none of them with horns. II
is true, however, that they seldom have any,"
Mr.. Neish, who was in Iceland in the sum
mer of 1881, says that the cattle there still
agree with this description.
It is reasonable TO suppose that both the
Icelandic and Scotch breeds were originally
derived from the Norwegian; but, on the other
hand, it cannot be denied that the same natural
law of variation that produced hornless cattle
in Norway, or when the Norwegian breed
originated, could act on any breed In addi-
ton to the Angus and Buchan Polls. now to
some extent intermixed in all the best herds.
there are two British breeds of Polled cattle.
viz, the Galloway, in the south of Scotland.
and the Norfolk and Suffolk red Polls The
Galloway had enough resemblance to the An
gus breed to have been included with il in the
early volumes of the Polled Herd Book; but
each has now herd book of its own. The
Norfolk and Suffolk breed is said to have
originated chiefly from q mixture of Scotch
Polls with the Old Horned breed of cattle of
these counties.
The improved Angus cattle had reached
such degree of perfection in 1913, that the
judges of the Highland and Agricultural Soci-
etys Show, held that year at Edinburgh, ex-
pressed the opinion that "the highly improv-
ed portion OF TINS much-tamed breed Is not
surpassed by any other description of cattle,
in the equal way in which tho fat is mixed and
diffused over every part of the animal, or in
yielding to the butcher a greater quantity of
prime meat, in proportion to the weight of the
carcass" In conclusion 1 may say that
think it a great mistake to confine them to one
color-black They were formerly of many
| colors besides, such as black with brown muz.
zles, and brown streaked backs, red, yellow
and brindled. Long as they have been bred
to black, they still throw reds and yellows,
which are discarded as unfashionabc, while
as every breeder of domestic animals knows
off-colored and mismarked produce is often
the best in other respects. Variety of color
is pleasing to the eye, and if the ignorant idea
than red and yellow Polls show impurity of
blood were got rid Of herds mixed in color
would soon be common and admired.