The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1913-10-02
MILKING SHORTHORNS
FOR THE NORTHWEST
(sy PROF. rHos. sHAw.)


There is now In the quarantine ct
6outh Quebec the largest Importation
OF milking Shorthorns ever brought
to America. Heretofore only few
individuals of this class have ever
crossed the Atlantic for this country.
These cattle were purchased In Eng
land by Mr.. J. j. Hill. and will be
brought to his North Oaks farm not
far from st. Paul. MIR. Hill Is a
strong believer In the value of the two
purpose COW. that is. the COW Tor 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 ia
one that is admirably suited to tho
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. delusion aud "A snare"
They have claimed that to keep her on
the farm was like going TO hunt
prairie chickens with q bull pup" or
like riding into battle on heavy
draught horse" Those men were hon.
est In their statements. but they sim.
ply did no, know. They thought they
knew, but they we're 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 tho
expense.
The folly ~ 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 1855 nom.
bers. In 1912 II published the records
OF milk production from 23t females,
OF which quite percentage were
hcifers with their nrst 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. AZ kel.
enscott. Lechlado. Gloucestcrshire, 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
heifcrs. In milk production has been
considerably more than 5000 pounds
each year. The COW DuEie 7th. with
a one.year milk record ending May 81.
1913. gave 1858 pounds. and the COW
Rose a7th ia.277 pounds Many other
instances OF similar production may
be citod Cows OF this breed stand
nrst In the milking trials OF the shows
more frequently than those OF amy
other breed. including the milking
breeds.
While tha production OF milk IN thus
highly satisfactory, all the males not
wanted for beef are grown into bul
locks They are reared on skim milk
and adjunots during the milk period
They are sold AT the age OF eighteen
10 thirty months. A. twentyfour
months they usually average not less
than 200 pounds. and sell for 800
10 ti26 each They are favorites with
the butcher. as there IN less loss In
cutting up the carcass than with bul'
locks reared on the dams There IN
larger proportion OF lean ana less un'
desirable TAT ON the hand reared
steers II is fact that fully ~ per
cent Of the milk used In Britain
comes from pure and grade Shorthorns
and nearly ms high a percentage OF
the meat Mr. Powell. the venerable
secretary OF the Sh0rih0rn association.
told the writer that even many OF the
breeders of scotch ShOrihorns arc
nov milking their herds Think Of the
prices which those cattle bring. A.
the dispersal sale ~ Garrett Taylor
last year lXa females of all AGES sold
Tor an average ~ Eh3. los, sd. The
people OF Argentina. South Africa
New Zealand and Australia are nov
buying these cattle ~ large numbers,
and yet tho wise men OF our stations
claim that ihey can't be bred
Mr. HillH ShorthOrn importation
| tohhlNh ol iNfhh ''lFn' "hlih"io' '"
which three are males The females
are young COWS from two Ia six years
old They are all now milking and
Will calye again In due time. individ'
ually they rank high. having been
chosen with much care. They have
milk records running from 5000 70
10000 pounds year
There II certainly large room for
this class Of cattle In all the North
western states This does not mean
that there Is no place for the dairy
breeds There II vide place also
for the dairy breeds. but viewed from
the standpoint Of the present and pros
pectiye demand for beef there is
much larger place for dual cattle
This IN future must come from the
arabic farm. and II must come mainly