The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1913-10-11
MILKING SHORTHORNS
FOR THE NORTHWEST
(By PROF.. THOS. ShAW.l

South Quebec the largest importation
of milking Shorthorns ever brought
| to America. Heretofore only Q few
| individuals of this class have ever
/ crossed the Atlantic for this country.
These cattle were purchased in Eng
| land by Mr.. ]. ]. Hill, and will Be
, brought to his North Oaks farm not
far from ST. Paul. Mr.. Hill IL 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
one that is admirably suited to the
needs of the average farmer, and In
this he is unquestionably right, not
withstanding the teaching of many in
our 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 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 were mistaken. More
over, they claimed that dual cattle
could not be bred. For twenty-five
years some 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 1876 mem
bers. In 1917 it published the records
of milk production from 234 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 1900 pounds. At Kel-
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 large lot of
heifers, in milk production has been
considerably more than 5000 pounds
each year. The COW Dulcie 18th, with
one-year milk record ending May 81,
1913. gave 1888 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 bus
locks. They are reared on skim milk |
and adjuncts during the milk period. |
They are sold at the age of eighteen I
to thirty months. At twenty-foul |
they usually average not less
than 1,200 pounds, and sell for S10C
to 1925 each They are favorites with
the butcher, as there is less loss in
cutting up the carcass than with bull
ocks reared on the dams. There is a
arger proportion OF lean and less I'M
desirable fat on the hand reared
steers 1t is fact that fully 80 per
cent OF the milk used in Britain
comes from pure and grade Shorthorns
md nearly as high a percentage of
he meat. Mr.. Powell the venerable
secretary Of the shorthorn association.
old the write, that even many of the
breeders Of scotch Shorthorns are
low milking theil herds Think of the
rices which those cattle bring. AT
he dispersal sale of Garrett Taylor
asst year lS3 females Of all ages sold
or an averfge of esq. les, Sd. The
eople of Argentina, South Africa
Jew Zealand and Australia are now
uying these cattle in large numbers.
nd yet the aise men of our stations
lain that Il ~ can't be bred.
Mr. Hills Shorthorn importation
onsists of twenty-eight animals, of
hitch three are males. The females
re young COWS from two to six years
Id. They are all now milking and
ill calve agGin in due time. Individ-
ally they. rank high, having been
hosen with much care. They have
lilk records running from 5000 to
1000 pounds a year.
There is certainly large room for
lis class of cattle in all the North
estern states. This does not mean
lat there is no place for the dairy
reeds. There is a wide place also
IT the dairy breeds, but viewed from
lie standpoint of the present and pros
7ctive demand for beef there Is
UGH larger place for dual cattle.
his in future must come from the
able farm, and it must come mainly
ON dual cattle that will be MIXED.