NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK RED POLLED CATTLE. 147 



more or less care, on upwards of one hundred farms in the 

 county. 



The principal herds in Suffolk are in the hands of the Earl of 

 Stradbroke, Col. Tomline, M.P., Sir Edward Kerrison, Bart., 

 Mr. Arthur Crisp, Mr. M. Biddell, and Mr. E. E. Lofft, of 

 Troston. Mr. Badham, who at one time possessed a choice herd , 

 and may therefore be accepted as a competent authority, is of 

 opinion that the red-polled cattle of the two counties are now 

 precisely the same breed. The original Suffolks are still repre- 

 sented by the herd at Eiddles worth. 



Amongst the good qualities that may be fairly claimed for 

 the redpolls are hardness of constitution, enabhng them to 

 thrive on scanty pasturage, and to withstand the severe winters 

 and piercingly cold springs usually experienced in the eastern 

 counties ; their milking properties are unquestionable, and they 

 have not that tendency to go dry which belongs to the Alderney, 

 Ayrshire, and most other breeds having a reputation as dairy 

 cattle. It not unfrequently happens that a cow will continue to 

 yield a good quantity of milk from one calving to another. 



The unimproved "home-bred" of twenty-five years since 

 was open to the objection of being flat sided, thin on the 

 loin, light in the hind quarter — in short, a somewhat rugged- 

 looking animal generally. What the breed of the present 

 day is like is well described by Mr. J. K. Fowler, of Ayles- 

 bury, who, in the capacity of Judge at the last meeting 

 of the Norfolk Agricultural Association, held at Dereham, 

 June, 1871, was pleased to say of them: "He was struck 

 with the remarkable usefulness and value of the cattle of this 

 district ; the cows had good useful udders, so that they were 

 likely to be capital cows for the dairy ; while the bullocks had 

 capital chines and good backs, but they were somewhat deficient 

 in the springing of the ribs and in the hind quarters. Amongst 

 the lot they scarcely found an animal that was not fit for a 

 show-yard. As a Shorthorn breeder, he wished he could put 

 some of the good points he found upon the Norfolk polled cattle 

 on the animals which he was breeding." It would be interesting 

 to know the particular points Mr. Fowler wished to transfer to 

 his Shorthorns — possibly the " good useful udders " would be 

 one of them. Although there is believed to be not the remotest 



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