Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-07-22
ABERDEEN POLlED CATTLE.

~
Careful Summing Up Of the Aberdeen
Angus Good Qualities.
The Aberdeen Polls possess character
istic shapes. The Shorthorn and Here
ford are both good types Of what may be
regarded as the parallelogramic form.
while the Aberdeen Poll is probably the
NEST perfect type of the cylindrical form
that is in existence. This means a great
deal. It implies that there shall be at
least fair length of body, with fine spring
of ribs, and the absence of those promi-
nences and abrupt angles which mar the
utility of some otherwise good speci-
mems of the other breeds. Compared
with the Shorthorns they are scarcely SO
large, are lower set, somewhat thicker,
less pointy and more smooth, although
of course there are individual exceptions.
The average specimens Of this breed
are remarkable for their retention Of
symmetry Of form, even when they are
being loaded with fat. They seldom
evince that disposition to patchiness
which mars the appearance Of individ-
uals Of some Of the other breeds and
renders the carcass much less valuable.
The possession of this useful property
would go far of itself to establish the
fact that the Aberdeen Polls are good
stall feeders. Of this we have con-
frmatory evidence in the prizes they
have won on both sides of the Atlantic
at the leading fat stock shows. Their
excellent stall feeding qualities, linked
with the fact that they are hornless,
should be we'll weighed by the farmers
Of this province in those days when the
legislature finds it necessary to appoint
a commission to investigate the question
of d%ehorning.
This breed is distinguished for the
production Of a good carcass of beef. 1t
is good because generally speaking the
dead weight of dressed meat is large in
proportion to the live weight; the meat
itself is of an excellent quality, evil
denced by its ready sale in the leading
British markets. It is said to be mar
bled or hecked in a greater degree than
that of some breeds. But this is a mat
ter which is to some extent controlled
by the feeding, although heredity does
influence the character Of meat in this
respect as we'll as in regard to quantity.
The prepotency Of the Aberdeen Poll
is we'll established, although its claims
in this respect stand no higher those of
the Shorthorn, the Hereford and the
Galloway. But this strong power Of
transmission renders it a potent facto,
in effecting improvement in common
stocks, since the qualities that are thus
impaired with much uniformity are
those of a high order. It has repeatedly
been demonstrated that the Aberdeen
Poll crosses admirably with the Short
horn and the Shorthorn grade, and that
the converse of this is true, viz, that the
Shorthorn blends admirably with the
Aberdeen Poll and the Aberdeen Poll
grade. The important feature here is
their ability to blend so admirably with
the Shorthorn grade, for the common
stocks of this country have been much
improved by Shorthorn blood. By using
Aberdeen-Angus bulls our farmers can
get good steers for shipping-smooth of
carcass and without horns.
In regard to robustness of constitu-
ton, to longevity and to ability to adapt
themselves to change Of climate, they
stand well, quite as well as the Short
horns and Herefords, but do not decid-
edly excel them in these respects, unless
when the latter have been impaired in
constitution by long continued in-and-
in breeding. This sin is perhaps not
chargeable to the same extent upon the
breeders of Aberdeen Polls as upon the
breeders of S~horthorns. The grazing
qualities Of the Aberdeen Polls are quite
equal to those of the Shorthorns, but
not superior, while they are inferior in
some degree to those of the Herefords.
On the other hand, they are probably
superior to the Herefords as stall feed
ers and quite equal to the Shorthorns.
The possession of this property implies
that they are distinguished by docility
Of disposition.
Their milking qualities are not of a
high order, although the quality of the
milk is excellent. They have been
reared as beef producers, the calves
sucking their own dams, which is always
in time fatal to the retention of superior
milking qualities.
To recapitulate, the qualities which
specially distinguish this beeing breed
are rotundity, density and smoothness
Of carcass, the ability to behave well in
the stall when alive and to give a large
percentage of excellent meat when dead.
Professor Thomas Shaw, Of Ontario