The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-06-07
DUAL PURPOSE { VS.
BREEDS THAT COMBINE MILK AND
BEEF QUALITIES.

Comparison of Milk Product Of Herds
of Jerseys, Red Polls and Short
horns ON Lord Rothschild's Farm
Good Points of DevOns.
J. McLain Smith of Ohio, discussing
dual purpose cattle in The Breeders
| Gazette, says:
The Red Polls and Shorthorns are
having the field pretty much to them
selves as dual purpose cattle. The
Devons should of right be included,
but Devon breeders of late seem to be
losing their grip or at least are little
heard from. In early days, when work
oxen were largely used on the farm,
the Devons were without a rival, and
they were for these conditions excel
lent all round cattle, the COWS good
mixers and the steers making the best
of all work oxen and at the end fine
beef. But they are rather slow matur-
ing and under present conditions have
nearly dropped out.
The race at present seems to be be-
tween the two breeds first named.
Which is preferable will depend some
what on the environment and very
largely on the individual selections. A
first class animal of either breed under
almost any conditions will give better
satisfaction than a second grade Of the
other. AS rule, the Shorthorn breed
ers tend to develop most of the beef
side of their animals, and the Red
Polled breeders, especially in England,
are inclining mostly to milk. Either
breed, however, if properly selected
and properly handled, should give sat
isfaction.
Shorthorns, as rule, to do their best
need better feed and better care. They
are not so active or so energetic as the
Red Polls. They will not exert them
selves SO much to get living, and
they suffer more and lose more under
adverse conditions. With proper care
and full feed the choice is largely a
matter of fancy or individual prefer
ence, assuming that the cows are
equally we'll selected.
In the tests of late, whether for milk
or beef, the Red Polls have fully held
their own. Unfortunately we have
few official records on this side in milk
yield, especially for Shorthorns, but
such as we have show that Red Polls
at least need not take back seat. In
the last Ohio test, conducted by the
Ohio experiment station and the COWS
tested at home, the three Red Polls en-
tered averaged more milk, more fat
nd Of fot +1oy
the six Jerseys tested. In the test I'M
der the auspices of the Red Polled Cat
tie club last year, the test made by
the experiment station, seven COWS
from Captain Hills herd averaged
nearly 40 pounds of milk a day with
over a pound and a half of fat. In
the test of the year before three COWS
from the herd of the writer, one milk
ing over seven months, gave an aver
age of little over 80 pounds of milk
and one and a quarter pounds of fat.
These are not extraordinary yields,
but they are creditable for COWS show
ing good beef quality and show good
profit on the feed consumed. On the
home farm of Lord ROthschild at TrinU
Park, England, where a large herd is
kept, all carefully selected and all man
aged under the best conditions, there is
little difference in the annual yield of
milk, though the Red Polls have al
ways eXcelled all the mature COWS Of
the Jerseys. Each breed averages over
5000 pounds Of milk a year, and one
year the Red Polls exceeded 1000
pounds.