62 W. Hartwig 



In both these studies on the age of cows at death we find the 

 same trend as in the ages of living animals already quoted. 

 Although there is a rise in age at death, it still remains true 

 that the majority are culled before they reach the years of 

 greatest productivity. 



Table VI 



Average age at death of grey-brown highland cattle 

 (herd-book) (Konig, 1951) 



Date Yrs. Mos. 



1901 6 9 



1925 8 4 



1949 9 4 



Rottgermann (1953) has carried out research on the age 

 structure of red-pied cows in Westphalia and the Rhineland. 

 From 1944 to 1951 an average of 36 per cent of cows were aged 

 up to 5 years, 51 per cent were aged from 5 to 10 years, and 

 only about 13 per cent were older than 10 years. Thus 87 per 

 cent of cattle died before attaining their tenth year. 



Freudenberg and Francke (1956) found that in black-pied 

 cattle of the Central-German arid region the highest number 

 of deaths occurred between the fourth and the eighth years. 

 At the age of 3, 14-7 per cent of the cattle died; at the age of 

 5, 21-3 per cent; at 6, 22-6 per cent; at 7, 13-2 per cent; and 

 at the age of 8, 9-8 per cent. Thus 81 per cent of all the cows 

 died in these five years, and the average age at death was 6 • 43 

 years. This ratio of losses is high, considering that these 

 figures are for herd-book cattle which are valuable for breeding 

 and might be expected to be kept alive longer. The figures for 

 cattle not registered in herd-books reveal still worse results. 



In this connexion we need to ask what are the causes that 

 have a decisive influence on the age of the animals and lead to 

 their premature culling or death. Freudenberg and Francke 

 (1956) performed special researches along this line on 469 

 cows from 12 big farms of the arid Central-German district. 

 They found the following reasons for suppression. First, 54*8 



