THE TRUE SHORTHORN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 44, 14 May 1927, Page 20 (Supplement)

THE TRUE SHORTHORN

HER POINTS EXPLAINED Though not New Zealand’s most favoured dairy cow, the Shorthorn continues to hold a high place as a butterfat producer. The true type of Shorthorn as described by a writer in the “Shorthorn Breeders’ Guide,” is as follows :

The cow should be straight in her lines, both on the top and underneath, wide and deep, especially in the back and hind quarters, having ribs well sprung, but it is no serious fault if she is less thick on the top of the shoulder blades than those bred purely for beef; her shoulders should be well into her back, and there must be no coarseness at the points. The flesh should be evenly laid on, without patchiness about rump or hips, and the tail well set in. The head is an important feature; it should be effeminate, the eye prominent and placid, the muzzle broad and clear in colour, the horns not coarse, and with a delicate curve. The skin should be soft and pliable, udder capacious and carried well up, beginning high between the thighs and running well under the belly when the cow has been milked out or when she is dry; the udder should have a silky touch, with an abundance of loose and thin skin. The teats should be a fair length, set well apart, and evenly placed, the escutcheon well defined, and the milk veins prominent with large cavity.