1000-YEAR OLD CATTLE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 146, 25 August 1941, Page 7

1000-YEAR OLD CATTLE

SET UP NEW MILKING RECORDS' i

Park cattle, descendants of the gigantic white beasts that once roamed wild through Britain's forests, are to-day setting up new milking records. The cattle, owned by Sir Claud Alexander, Bt., of Faygate, Sussex, last year attained an average milk yield for the herd of SOGOlbs, with a butterfat content of 4.50. In the... previous year one heifer gave 11,724^lbs, and was fifth best heifer of all breeds in the West Sussex Milk Recording Society's books. Park cattle are both the oldest and youngest of British breeds—oldest in respect of their long lineage, and youngest in that they made their first appearance in the ring at the Royal Agricultural Society of England's 1920 Show. The first volume of the Park Cattle Society's Herd Book was published in 191& and dealt with all the animals then in existence. A vivid Avhite in colour, with ears, muzzle, teats and eyelashes black or red, they are large, magnificently proportioned beasts, adapted to both milk and beef production.

Park cattle are remarkably free from tuberculosis. Major Gurney's herd of 150 head, no fewer than ten of which have earned the Ministry of Agriculture's 3-year Certificate (for a yield of 2<!,0001bs) have all passed the tuberculosis test for several years in succession without a single reactor. This herd has averaged 78591bs of milk annually over a period of 15 years.