Vol. XII. No. 301. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



357 



LIVE STOCK NOTES. 



DUAL-PURPOSE CATTLE IN JAMAICA. 



In the last i.ssue of the Agricultural Neios, the possible 

 lines of im(iroveinent of native cattle in Jamaica were dis- 

 cussed from the point of view of dairy quality pure and 

 simple; it is now proposed to consider another asiiect in the 

 breeding of dairy animals, namely, the production of cattle 

 ■with a capacity for producing large yields of milk of 

 good quality, and for furnishing superior quality beef. 

 Mr. Cou.sins, the Director of Agiicutture, .Jamaica, from 

 whose article published in the Bulletin of the DejnirhneHt of 

 Afjriculiiire (Vol. II, No. 7) the information in these 

 abstracts has been taken, points out that not only on large 

 grazing pens, but also in the homes of people with only 

 a few acres of grass land, cows of a dual-purpose type just 

 described are absolutely essential 



THE RED POLL lii'.EED. 



It has been found in .Jamaica that the ideal breed of 

 cattle for the purpose under consideration is the English 

 Red Poll. The animals of this breed possess a short 

 red-coloured coat, and. as a breed, are inured to hard con- 

 ditions. In Trinidad they have proved a very efficient 

 breed for crossing with cattle of Indian strain, whilst from 

 a commercial aspect, they are moderate as regards first cost. 

 But the chief feature ot the Ited I'ijU breed which makes 

 them especiallj- suitable for dual-purpose cro.ssing, is that 

 they are pre-eminently the animals for baby beef, whilst 

 they have no small reputation as regards milk production. 

 Their suitability for the production of baby beef lies in the 

 fact that an animal of the Red Poll breed aged one and 

 three quarter years, is, on the average, fully 28 ft), heavier 

 in live weight than an animal of the same age belonging to 

 any other breed. , 



A Red Poll herd has been established at the Govern- 

 ment Farm, Hope, and these cattle are registered under 

 herd book numbers together with an affix consisting of 

 a letter and numbers denoting the foundation cow or 

 'family' of each animal. During 1912, three of the 

 imported Red Poll cows were put to a year's milking test. 

 These cows headed the list at the end of the year with 

 records of over 6,000 ft), milk each, beating Canadian grade 

 Guernseys and Ayrshires, and all the best Jamaican and 

 Barbadian cows. It may be noted, in passing, that all three 

 of these Red Poll cows had attacks of tick fever during the 

 year, but the disease was successfully treated by means of 

 the Trypan blue treatment. In conclusion the view may be 

 expressed that the Red Polls will eventually prove them- 

 selves to be a highly efficient breed of dual-purpose cattle 

 for Jamaica, and there is every reason to believe that equal 

 satisfaction would result from their careful introduction into 

 other West Indian islands as well . 



HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF DAIltV CATTLE IN .lAMAICA. 



The fr>llowing summary has been compiled from the 

 continuation of the article just abstracted: — 



(1) The most certain means of improvement of dairy 

 cattle is by the use of bulls of known pedigree from desir- 

 able parents. (2) No cow should, as a rule, be allowed to 

 run with the bull until two months after calving. If 

 possible, each cow should give a calf regnlarly once a year. 

 ^3) Frequently native cows dry off very rapidly when they 



get in calf; in such cases it is profitable to milk the cows 

 for nine months before putting them to the bull. (4) A bull 

 of imported blood should receive grain feeding; this increases 

 the number of cows he is able to serve, forty to fifty cows 

 to each bull having been found within the range of the 

 herd bulls at the Hupe Government Farm. (5) Some bulls 

 exhibit a marked tendency to give a predominence of heifer 

 or of bull calves. For the dairy, a heifer breeder is the 

 most desirable bull to possess. (G) It should be borne in 

 mind that the value of a sire cannot be realized until his 

 daughters come into milk. It is therefore desirable not to 

 part with a bull until his breeding value in the herd has 

 been demonstrated. 



(7) In Jamaica, it has been the experience of 

 breeders that a cow's period of gestation is exactly the 

 same as for animals in other countries. (8) Dehorning 

 is desirable owing to the tendency native cattle have 

 to injure one another: the use of a Red Poll bull is 

 perhaps the simplest way to eliminate the horns of 

 native cattle; but if thought desirable, the application of 

 caustic potash to the embryo horns of a calf soon after birth 

 enables the dehorning operation to be effected very simply 

 and without suffering to the animal. (9) If a cow- 

 ls to be milked without its calf later on, it is highly 

 undesirable to allow any cow to suckle its calf,^ 

 which should be removed from the cow as promptly 

 as possible. The Tropics appear to accentuate the maternal 

 instincts of dairy cattle. (10) In Jamaica, with Jerseys !>nd. 

 Jersey Grades, experience has indicated that two and a half 

 years is the most desirable age for first calving. (11) As 

 regards Red Polls, however, the conclusion is arrived at that 

 native-bred pedigree Red Polls .should not be put to the bull 

 until three years old. (12) As regards milking, it is stated 

 that at Hope the operation is conducted twice daily at 

 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. Records of weight are kept. (13) Any 

 cases of udder trouble should be regarded as infectious. 

 (14) In connexion with the provi.sion of imported feeds it is 

 stated to be a good practice to give dairy cows as many quarts 

 of grain as the cow gives quarts of milk, and to supply to- 

 native cows one quart of grain for every quart of milk pro 

 duced above a standard of 4 quarts per diem A profit of 

 100 per cent, is indicated from the judicious feeding of grain 

 to dairy cows at the Hope Farm on this basis. No dairy- 

 cow which refuses grain feed is worth handling in a dairy 

 herd in Jamaica. (15) The manufacture of ensilage frota 

 Guinea corn in the ear and from Guinea grass just arrowing, 

 has proved eminently satisfactory in Jamaica. 



DISEASES. 



Tuberculosis and contagious abortion appear to be the- 

 most serious diseases of dairy cattle in Jamaica. The former 

 disease can be eradicated from a herd by the use of the 

 tuberculin test (see West Indian Bulletin, Vol. XIII, No. 4), 

 whilst contagious abortion requires for its prevention great 

 care in disinfection and the isolation of all infected cows. 

 The bull's sheath should be disinfected before serving a cow. 



In breeding cattle for the Tropics, the shortening of the 

 coat is a first essential to be aimed at, and although clipping 

 is generally resorted to, it should be remembered that even 

 one sixteenth of Indian blood has a marked effect as regards 

 the shortening of the coat. 



Systematic spraying for ticks is regarded as a sine qud 

 lion. 'No cow can produce a normal quota of milk if her 

 blood is to be drawn by hundreds of ticks daily.' Groat 

 success has been attained from the use of spraying in 

 Jamaica, particularly with paranaph and with arsenic. 



