Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1901-06-06
DUAL PURPOSE COWS
BREEDS THAT COMBINE MILK AND
BEEF QUALITIES.
Comparison of MIX Product of Herds
of Jerseys, Red Polls and short
horns ON Lord Roth.chiId'. Farm.
Good Points of Deyons.

Compn rison of MIX Product of Herds
of Jerseys, Red Polls and short
horns ON Lord Roth.chiId'. Farm.
Good Points of Devons.
]. McI.ain 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 ut least are little
heard from. In early days, when work
oxen were largely used OH the farm,
the Deyons 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 il preferable VIII depend some
what ON the environment and very
largely on the individual selections. A
frat 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 mcllning mostly 10 milk. Either
breed, however, II properly selected
and properly handled, should give sat.
| isfaction.
Shorthorns. as rule. 10 do their best
need better feed ana better care. They
| are not so active or so energetic as the
Red Polls. They viii not exert them.
selves so much to get a 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 well selected.
In the tests of late. whether for mill;
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 rs 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 ut home, the three Red Polls en-
\ tered averaged more milk, more IA
| and more solids other than fat thar
| the six Jerseys tested. In the test uu
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 n day Will
over Il pound and half of fat. Ii
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 n little over 80 pounds OF mill
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 "a goot
profit ON the feed consumed. On tn,
home farm Of Lord Rothschild at Trim,
Park, England, where "A large herd Il
kept. all carefully selected and all man
aged under the best conditions, there Il
little difference In the annual yield o.
milk, though the Red Polls have al
ways excelled all the mature cows Of
the Jerseys. Each breed averages owe
5000 pounds OF milk a year, and on,
year the Red Polls exceeded 100,
pounds.