HYBRID CATTLE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 993, 9 June 1930, Page 10

HYBRID CATTLE

CANADIAN EXPERIMENTS BUFFALO CROSSES Recent reference was made to experiments in Canada in connection with the crossing of beef breeds of cattle with the native bison, or buffalo. The initial experiments were not very successful, since birth of male calves resulted in a very high percentage of mortality, both of cow and of calf, and the males that lived were sterile. The female hybrids, however, were successful animals, fertile to qither bison or domesticated bull, able to “rustle” for themselves in bad weather and on scanty pasture, and producing a very good grade of beef, somewhat like that of the Aber-deen-Angus. Moreover, crossing these hybrids among themselves produced an F2 generation to which the name of “cattalo” was given. These exhibited the useful qualities of the first crosses.

Central Asiatic Yaks It now appears that further experiments have been tried with a view to avoiding the high mortality consequent unpon the first-cross. Some Central Asiatics yaks were introduced and mated with bison and with European cattle, and the hybrids mated in various ways thereafter. Here there was no mortality, and the animals flourished, being described as “singularly lugged and hardy.” The experiment, states the Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture, is still in too early 'a stage to say what are the commercial possibilities, but the breeding experiments are certainly interesting and have resulted in F2 and F 3 geneiations, some of the animals even containing European, bison and yak blood The dominance of the white face of the Hereford is a noticeable feature ot the queer-looking animals produced.