The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-04
MILKING S%HORTHORNS
FOR THE NORTHWEST
(By r THos. sHAW,S

There Is nov in the quarantine at
South Quebec the largest importation
of milking Shorthorns ever brought
to America Heretofore only a few
individuals Of this class have ever
crossed the Atlantic for this country.
These cattle purchased in Eng.
land by Mr.. J. J. Hill, and will be
brought to his North Oaks farm not
far from st. Paul. Mr.. Hill is a
strong believer in the value of the two
purpose COW, that is, the COW for milk
and also for beef, usually spoken of
now as the dual purpose COW, and of
COWS of this class he regards none as
superior to the milking Shorthorns,
called in Britain the dairy Shorthorn.
He believes that this type of cow is
n that is admirably suited to the
needs of the average farmer, and in
this he is unquestionably right, not.
outstanding the teaching of many in
u experiment stations to the con.
trary.
Many in those stations have taught
that there was no place for the dual
cow on the farm. They have said she
was "a myth, a delusion and a snare"
They have claimed that to keep her on
the farm was like going to hunt
prairie chickens with a bull pup" or
like riding into battle on a. heavy
draught horse" Those men were hon.
est In their statements, but they SIM
ply did not know. They thought they
knew, but they weSe mistaken. More.
over, they claimed that dual cattle
could not be bred. For twenty-five
years ONE of those men have been
diligently propagating that nonsense,
and the public funds have borne the
expense.
The folly of such teaching will be
apparent from the following: In Eng
land there is today an association for
promoting the interests of this breed.
This association has now 1856 men,
bers. In 1912 it published the records
of milk production from ga females,
of which quite a percentage were
heifers with their first lactation pc.
riod.
The average Of milk production
from these was between 1000 and
5000 pounds for the year.. Some went
higher than $4,000 pounds. At KEEL
%enscott, Lechlade, Worcestershire, the
owner, Robert Hobbs, has kept milk.
ing Shorthorns constantly since 1878.
The herd now numbers nearly 200
COWS In milk. Since 1908 the average
of all these, including a large lot of
heifers, in milk production has been
considerably more than 5000 pounds
each year. The GOV Dulcie 7th, with
a one-year milk record ending May 81,
1913, gave 1883 pounds, and the COW
Rose 37th 14,277 pounds. Many other
instances of similar production may
be cited. Cows Of this breed stand
first in the milking trials Of the shows
more frequently than those of any
other breed, including the milking
breeds.
While the production of milk is thus
highly satisfactory, all the males not
wanted for beef are grown into bull
locks. They are reared on skim milk
and adjuncts during the milk period.
They are sold at the age of eighteen
to thirty months. At twenty-four
months they usually average not less
than. 1900 pounds, and sell for 800
to $125 each. They are favorites with
the butcher, as there is less loss in
cutting up the carcass than with bull
locks reared on the dams. There Is a
larger proportion of lean and less I'M
desirable fat on the hand reared
1t is a fact that fully 80 per
cent of the milk used in Britain
comes from pure and grade Shorthorns
and nearly as high a percentage of
the meat. Mr.. Powell, the venerable
secretary OF the S%horthorn association,
told the writer that even many of the
breeders of Scotch Shorthorns are
milking their herds. Think Of the
which those cattle bring. At
the dispersal sale of Garrett Taylor
last year 1873 females of all ages sold
for an average of &83, les, Cd. The
Of Argentina, South Africa,
A6dlduu anu AuSLEdlld aEO now
these cattle In large numbers,
and yet the wise men Of our stations
claim that they can't be bred.
Mr.. Hills Shorthorn Importation
consists of twenty-eight animals. of
three are males. The females
are young cows from two to six years
old. They are all now milking and
will calve again in due time. Individ-
lally they rank high, having been
with much care. They have.
milk records running from 5000 to
10000 pounds a year.
There Is certainly large for
this class Of cattle in all the North
western states. This does not mean
there Is no place for the dairy
There is d wide place also
FOR the dairy breeds, but viewed from
the standpoint Of the present and pros
demand for beef there is a
much larger place for dual cattle.
This In future must come from the
farm, and 1t must come mainly
dual cattle that will be MIXED.