DANISH CATTLE SHOWS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 458, 20 April 1912, Page 7

DANISH CATTLE SHOWS.

The Danes have learned much from us in the last fifty years in the general principles of improving the breeds of cattle, sajs the London "Farm and Home," but, in practice, the methods they have adopted in the details of their show arrangements point to a considerable divergence in the ultimate aims kept in view by the two countries. The British idea scemt always to ha.ve been perfection in form and quality of individual pedigree herds, while in Denmark they strive to use the show svstcm as a means of improving the general common stock of the country, [t may be said that there is no real liflercnce, and that both countries arc working to the same end by different means. If so, several features 3f the Danish shows seem to mc the Dctter calculated for getting there juic'ily. Cne change which they adopted about 40 years ago was to ; i'c prizes, not to single cows, but for collections of cows bred by th2 inhibitor, thereby giving intending br.'•crn a better knowledge of the ncrits of the various herds. Then it vas seen that breeders did not suficimtly recognise the value of a good sire when they got one, and Lhey gave prizes for old bulls, to :ucc;v.rage the keeping of such as ong as possible, wishing to impress the fact that a really prepotent sire <s as good as a littlo gold mine. Carrying this idea a- step further, prizes are now no longer given for rails over five years old without ocilar demonstration that their offering are satisfactory. In these ind other ways the Danes, while en:ou raging the breeders, do their best :o disseminate knowledge among the ilass who keep cattle for ordinary Market purposes.