SHORTHORN CATTLE.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 224, 16 February 1928, Page 6

SHORTHORN CATTLE.

SEPARATION OF TYPES. The Cruickshank Animal. In all .branches or cattle breeding there will be found some studs that command a better inquiry for both sires and dams than the rank and file. Whether prices are baoming or at a low ebb -competition will persistently be keener for a few prominent breeder ’s sale lots. It is often contended that because of some perhaps slightly warranted .circumstance one particular owner will .have a run of popularity, and that possibly his stock is ,of no better quality than that of many of his opponents. But while there may be occasions in which name plays -a .too prominent part, .it will generally be found that a reputation has been earned. The fact is that, althoigh. there -ire many stud herds in the country, there are only a limited number of really competent breeders. The common mistake of many who enter into the cattle breeding ranks is that they fail to have a clear conception from the out#et of an ideal .type. They may pay too much attention to pedigree, or they may fail because they do not appreciate sufficiently the points required in a sire to correct -deficiencies.

Looking back through the past’Tecor/Js of beef cattle it will be found f"** -°f the reputation enjoyed Dy British studmasters may be traced to a. comparatively few men of genius, " h ,°, se .°s™£ s arc.now indelibly associated with the particular breeds in whicli they are interested. Collings, Bates, Booth, Cruickshank, and Du tine are names ji;o be conjured with in the Shorthorn breeding world, .and M‘ Conibie and J. M'Pherson Grant have played an almost equally important part in llie evolution of the Aberdeen Angus breed.

While such men have established for themselves a permanent place in the an. nais of their respective breeds, it must not be forgotten that their work was merely the forerunner of much that has since been performed;. Even the types they made supreme for the time have considerably altered so as to conform with modern requirements. The Bates Shorthorn has been more largely retained for milk type than* for beef, and the aim of the British beef breeders is now for a low-set, nuggetty, and heavily-fleshed carcass that will come to maturity in the shortest possible space of time. In New Zealand the change from the Derrimut towards the Cruickshank ideal, or, as it is often termed “the Scotch type,” has been very marked, and most people will agree that the change has been advantageous. But how many breeders at the present time have a clear conception of the type they desire to achieve?

Having proved that the infusion of “Scotch 1 " Blood has been beneficial, they have simply decided to continue using purely Scotch bulls in their herds. They apparently fail to appreciate that each succeeding generation

will be shorter and shorter on the leg. more tied up in the shoulders, and consequently of little use under the conditions of the interior and* far north of the continent, from which there is by far the biggest demandAlthough the old somewhat angular and big-framed beast required some modification of type, it possessed certain characteristics, which it would be fatal txD lose altogether, and the problem of where sires of the future are coming from promises to become most complicated within a few years. Those who have seen the 11 Scotch 9 9 type when down in condition and having to rustle for feed will agree that their appearance d-oes not inspire enthusiasm. They are small and weedy-looking, and fail to display any of that hardiness of constitution that was such a striking factor in the Shorthorns of the past.

The Shorthorn breed in New Zealand 3ias reached a somewhat critical position, and unless great care is exercis(ed in future it is possible that other breeds will usurp its position. For breeding and pedigree are largely of this reason it is urged that studinas“ters should fix in their minds the ideal type for oiir peculiar climatic conditions, and not merely follow the established customs obtaining elsewhere.

This has been done in New Zealand by several well-known studmas tors. Though the fundamentals of •ancient and orthodox origin, the breed could not have flourishes! to the extent it haa without a large measure of elasticity as regards general principles and peculiarities of locil climw tic and pastoral conditions.